La-La Land

PALO ALTO (C+) - "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" used to be a cheesy celeb-hound entertainment show. Now the theme is milked for adolescent melodrama and another vanity project by James Franco, whose short stories inspired the film, and make-work for the third generation for the Coppola family (Sofia's niece Gia writes and directs). This is what happens when Hollywood broods get out of control.

Having trouble networking? You're just not going to the right family reunions and high school assemblies. Here Emma Roberts (getting too old for teen roles) and Jack Kilmer lead a cast of celebrity relatives and pals among a bunch of aimless teens moping around southern California. The narrative itself is aimless, too, as Gia Coppola doesn't quite find the right thread to stitch these random stories together.

This is the ultimate patronage project: It stars Val Kilmer's son and Julia Roberts' niece. Young Gia employs her mom, Jacqui Getty, uncle Jason Schwartzman for his music (as well as the songs of Robert Coppola Schwartzman), her great-aunt Talia Shire, the voice of grampa Francis Ford Coppola, and some kid named Bailey Coppola. You can also spot Wayne Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones, and his daughter, Emma, as well as Peter Bogdanovich's sister Anna, Michael Madsen's son Christian, and Polly Draper's son Nat Wolf. We can only guess about Amelia Burstyn and Genevieve Penn. The only next-gen C-list relative missing is Clint Howard's wife's cousin's nephew.

Roberts comes across as alternatively above the amateurish fray and grasping for her character's true center. April is the high school virgin who draws flirtatious signals from the soccer coach she baby-sits for (Franco, unmemorable) and from Teddy (young Kilmer, shaky), the baby-faced Beck boy with a major substance abuse problem.

They and their pals meander through various parties and school activities (catch Don Novello as the eccentric art teacher). Most of the cast struggles to make any of this very interesting. Coppola shows an impressive flair here and there. Snippets of angsty, existential banter occasionally land (such as when three soccer players debate whether one of their teammates is pretty or not). Several characters tell April that they love her. One boy has an unconvincing meltdown.

It's all a bit twee and underwhelming. If you're not in the club you probably just won't get it. Whatever.