Boys

THE DIRTIES (A-minus) - Director Matt Johnson crafts a clever and quite funny quasi-mockumentary about two high school kids making a film about getting revenge on the class bullies (the Dirties). And they also might be actually planning a Columbine-style bloodbath wiping out the bad guys.

Johnson stars with Owen Williams as crazy film-buff pals, name-checking classic movies like junior Tarantinos. They work with a faculty adviser, giving him a bit part in the incredibly lame story, as part of a filmmaking class. They goof off while story-boarding and editing. The sight of Matt standing on a kitchen table in his underwear and wielding a boom microphone to create background voices and sounds ("getting foley") is a hoot. Johnson, on a shoestring budget, has crafted one of the better movies about moviemaking.

Matt and Owen (they use their real names) have a natural bond. Owen seems genuinely amused by Matt. And Johnson is, indeed, a skilled comic and mimic. He has a goofy demeanor and a goofy look, as well. His rubber face brings to mind Owen Wilson, Zero Mostel and Michael Palin. If you don't like his smart-ass antics, you might not make it through this. For me, Matt and Owen's stupid shenanigans reminded me of the endless banter with my best friend in junior high. At times I had the vague sense of deja vu; this is truly a heartfelt buddy movie. Their back-and-forth is winning.

The boys, however, start to drift apart when Owen starts making inroads with one of the school hotties, Chrissy H. (Krista Madison). (She's pals with Krissy B. (Shailene Garnett), a popular dynamic duo.) Owen's persistence (he recalls her once paying attention to him in third grade, so he never lost hope) earns genuine flirtation from Chrissy, threatening the boys' bond as losers till death do they part. The angst of adolescence snaps into focus.

Matt starts to lose perspective. His thirst for revenge starts to feel real. This might not be just about making a dumb movie.

A part of the appeal here is the "Office"-like gimmick of having all of the events filmed by an unseen crew, often surreptitiously through windows. Matt has a winking connection to that "secret" camera, turning him into even more of a rascal. Is it a commentary on the media and the public's lurid gaze, or just a neat trick?

The proceedings build to a crazy ending that makes you rethink much of what came before and adds another dimension to what we thought we were watching. This whole movie comes out of left field. It's a small gem.