Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Interesting characters almost keep not-great movie afloat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Trust Me
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Hollywood agent Howard Holloway (Clark Gregg) specializes in representing child actors; his own past as a failed child actor gives him a special touch. The trouble is that Howard just isn't lucky enough, savvy enough, or savage enough to play with the Hollywood heavyweights. After losing his latest client, he meets 13-year-old Lydia (Saxon Sharbino), and before he knows it, he's handling her casting in a multimillion-dollar Ang Lee-directed teen vampire franchise. At the same time, Howard gets the nerve to ask out his pretty neighbor (Amanda Peet), and things seem to be going well at last. But try as he can to hold everything together, his rival, Aldo Shocklee (Sam Rockwell), and various outside forces seem to conspire against him.
Is It Any Good?
Not all of the movie works, but the middle section (the majority of the movie) is an affecting character study. It explores the down-but-not-quite-out Howard, touching upon the small moments of victory that he's spent his life trying to recapture. Lydia is also an interesting character, clearly trying to make up for loss and pain in her young life, and the two make an interesting pair. Co-stars like Rockwell and Allison Janney, despite their great talent, can only play backstabbing Hollywood villains, but Peet is adorable as the spunky girl next door.
Gregg, who's best known for his recurring role as Agent Coulson in the Avengers series, made his directorial debut with 2008's twisted Choke. TRUST ME is his follow-up, and it's inherently sweeter and more wounded -- but, as if in an effort to join the two films, it seems forced into much darker territory in its final act. Gregg provides a prologue to foreshadow it, but it still doesn't quite fit.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Trust Me's messages. Do you consider it a comedy? What makes some of it funny as opposed to serious? Do the serious moments detract from the humor?
Is Lydia a role model for teen girls?
How does Lydia's body image reflect reality? Is she too sexy too soon?
Does the movie make Hollywood look like a good place to work? Are the rewards worth the struggle?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 6, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : August 26, 2014
- Cast : Clark Gregg , Amanda Peet , Saxon Sharbino
- Director : Clark Gregg
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Starz Media
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language
- Last updated : September 17, 2022
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