The Smokers Movie Review

Word of warning -- teenage girls are sick of being played. And they're turning the tables, as an outcast clique at a precious prep school decides to get an old gun lying around at mom's house and "rape" a bunch of obnoxious boys.

"The Smokers," as they're known (because, you know, they smoke), wear goofy masks as they lure guys to corn-filled barns (no, really), humiliating them before cutting them loose to bask over the pathetic event. There's not much rime or reason for the "rapes" -- only a thin issue involving Betty (Busy Philipps) and a few one-night stands -- which makes the whole affair a bit difficult to relate to. In fact, the Smokers are pretty much downright evil, and their actions are hardly inspiring or even remotely justified.

Despite a cast of promising performers -- Phillips, Dominique Swain, and Keri Lynn Pratt -- the film is hard to digest and difficult to watch. Is it a black comedy in the vein of Heathers? Or is it a dramatic thriller about the horrors of teen sexuality? The film doesn't seem to know, and neither do I. Frankly, it succeeds at neither -- rarely funny and saying little of substance on the aforementioned issue. Rhe transfer actually comes off well on VHS, but unfortunately, the sound has suffered greatly, plummeting into inaudibility then climbing into ear-busting heights. And it's hard enough to watch this movie without having to fiddle with the volume constantly.

Watch for Thora Birch in an extremely small role.