Banana Split

“I’m not quite sure what got me to watch this female-centric teen comedy. Perhaps it was the 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes? At any rate, I’m not sorry I watched this entertaining bit of teen romcomm fluff. What makes this somewhat unique is that it was written by a teen. Hannah Marks, who also stars, wrote this screenplay when she was 19, giving it a fresher, more authentic feel to many of the formulaic films about that endless summer between high school graduation and college. Not that BANANA SPLIT doesn’t hit some of those formulas, more often it transcends them. BANANA SPLIT is a classic two girls, one boy love triangle. The twist is, the film focuses more on the two girls’ friendship than either of the boy-girl relationships. Ion this case, smart, snarky April befriends cheerleader-beautiful, new girl in town, Clara despite the fact that she is dating April’s ex. After a tense meet-up at a alcohol-soaked party the two young women realize that the genuinely like each other. The problem, of course, is what to do about Nick, the young man in question. They decide not to discuss him, and further, not to tell him they’re friends and hanging out.

“Not surprisingly, the summer grows more complicated as the two ladies spend so much time together, but keeping their friendship a secret seems unfair… especially to April. Complications arise when April hooks up with her and Nick’s mutual best pal Ben, the only other person know knows about her friendship with Clara. Then Nick comes back into the picture expressing some confusion about why he and April broke- up. If it all sounds like pretty standard stuff, you’re right, but it does upend many of the teen movie cliches. Despite the plot twists that suggest otherwise, the story is truly about April and Clara’s friendship, and Nick is largely irrelevant, save for the situation he creates. The dialog also seems authentic and fresh, and certainly very funny, It also felt pretty alien to me, a sure sign that it’s more accurate to how Gen Z interacts nowadays, given the ever-widening chasm between me and that generation. So it’s not going to win any nominations from me, it was still an entertaining film, especially if you’re looking for a light-hearted diversion. 3 1/2 cats”