The themes of degradation, spiritual hollowness and abandonment are just not conveyed with enough freshness or subtlety to impress.
The Young Unknowns (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:4
Rotten:25
Average Rating:4.1/10
Consensus: A movie about uninteresting people doing uninteresting things.
Theatrical Release:Apr 11, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: At his father's expensive home in the Los Angeles hills, aspiring filmmaker Charlie (Devon Gummersall) and his browbeaten girlfriend, Paloma (Arly Jover) bicker and drink until Charlie's best... At his father's expensive home in the Los Angeles hills, aspiring filmmaker Charlie (Devon Gummersall) and his browbeaten girlfriend, Paloma (Arly Jover) bicker and drink until Charlie's best friend Joe (Eion Bailey) arrives, who is another privileged, indulgent Hollywood type. Joe brings both drugs and Cassandra (Leslie Bibb), an aspiring model he has recently met. Over the course of the day, Charlie and Joe get wasted, abuse Cassandra, and alienate Paloma. But when Charlie gets news of a family tragedy, he deals with it by indulging even further, and a night on the town takes the events of the day for an even more tragic turn. Loosely based on a 1969 play by Wolfgang Bauer, THE YOUNG UNKNOWNS taps into the familiar territory of jaded, emotionally hollow twentysomethings, deriving its strength from its astute performances and sharp dialogue. Writer-director Catherine Jelski's film was finished in 2000, but not properly released until 2003--creating a buzz on the festival circuit in the interim, largely due to Gummersall's performance. Charlie is a repugnant character--spoiled, hateful, and arrogant--but in Gummersall's (best known as mild-mannered Brian Krackow or TV's MY SO_CALLED LIFE) hands, he also becomes sympathetic and vulnerable. [More]
Starring: Devon Gummersall, Eion Bailey, Leslie Bibb, Arly Jover
Starring: Devon Gummersall, Eion Bailey, Leslie Bibb, Arly Jover, S.A. Templeman
Director: Catherine Jelski
Director: Catherine Jelski
Screenwriter: Catherine Jelski
Producer: Kimberly Shane O'Hara, Eric M. Klein, Catherine Jelski
Studio: Indican Pictures
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Young Unknowns
The young players here are already on their A game, but the script they were given was first draft.
This bleak little drama started as a play, and I'd bet that even onstage it felt contrived.
Rolls everything people hate about L.A. into one unattractive spitting viper of a movie.
Feels like a pity-party for a few spoiled jerks who, all things considered, don't really merit 90 minutes of my undivided attention.
They're not just Young Unknowns, they're also unintelligent, uninspired and unfailingly irritating, too.
A film of probative quietude with fiercely invested in performances; in small ways perceptive and intelligent but overall too lackadaisical in its intellectual application to leave upon viewers more than a faint, passing memory.
The film wants to be a revealing character study of aimless Hollywood wannabes, but the story is just not compelling enough to make the viewer care.
The film wants to be a revealing character study of aimless Hollywood wannabes, but the story is just not compelling enough to make the viewer care.
Our only experienced emotion is boredom, followed closely by annoyance.
A curious exercise in the vein of David Rabe's Hurlyburly that needed greater dramatic heft than is exhibited by the industry lightweights it depicts.
The claustrophobic and static movie is in bad need of some opening up.
It is a harrowing experience, anchored by the solid portrayal by young Devon Gummersall.
The writing and the lead performance of Devon Gummersall in Catherine Jelski's The Young Unknowns makes this spoiled rich kid movie almost tolerable.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Young Unknowns at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Young Unknowns at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



