Kind of Sort of Fine

May 1, 2021
A pair of seniors attempt to reinvent themselves after being partnered for a TV production class. Following a very public breakdown in front of the high school near the end of 11th grade, overachiever Hayley Mills begins her senior year with an ultimatum from the school administration: either drop her extracurricular load or her accelerated track classes in order to manage the pressure she puts on herself. Swapping an intense tennis schedule for a TV production elective, Hayley finds herself paired with senior producer Lewis, an '80s-movie-obsessed classmate who is determined to lose weight in hopes of becoming a leading man rather than the guy perpetually behind the scenes. Determined to resurrect her image, Hayley devises a plan for the pair to film documentaries about their classmates, highlighting hidden talents that show different sides to these students that no one is aware of. In chapters presenting their alternating perspectives, the two document their humorous misadventures and successes in a narrative that ultimately feels underbaked. Despite the protagonists' aim to dig beneath the surface, their own characterizations barely scratch the surface level, and the events of the final act are rushed. Hayley and Lewis are White; there is some racial diversity in the supporting cast. A reasonably entertaining, if uneven, high school romp. (Fiction. 14-18)

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