Like a really great pop song, it hits all the expected beats, but its sweetness is never too cloying. Teen Spirit is filled with warmth, the gorgeous cinematography, electric performance by Fanning, and familiar soundtrack make it all worthwhile.

| Jul 25, 2023

...a familiar premise that’s employed to watchable yet perpetually erratic effect by Minghella...

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Apr 10, 2023

The musical numbers are electric.

| Original Score: B | Aug 15, 2021

Minghella is more interested in revealing a carefully cultivated aesthetic than actually saying something with his debut.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Mar 8, 2021

Lensed to stunning perfection by Autumn Durald, whose lensing work here immediately had me checking IMDB for her other credits.

| Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 25, 2020

Teen Spirit has enough going for it -- mostly the music -- to give it the mildest of recommendations, if only for Fanning completists. But the rest of the movie feels stale and often depressing.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 21, 2020

Fueled by a perfect, funky pop soundtrack, Teen Spirit surpasses a notion that it's a simple teen drama. Marking the directorial debut of Max Minghella (The Handmaid's Tale), this film is an energetic escape from reality.

| Jul 12, 2020

A wealth of narrative avenues present themselves for exploration, but Teen Spirit moves toward the closing credits with a lackadaisical precision. Eyes are on the prize, but the journey is all but ignored.

| Mar 17, 2020

'Teen Spirit' does feel like a first feature, with the familiar beats and characters BUT it also serves as taster of what Minghella will make next.

| Jan 29, 2020

Teen Spirit doesn't really know what it's saying, but it likes it anyways. That just isn't enough.

| Jan 17, 2020

This should be right up my alley as I love the music and Elle Fanning as an actress, but it's hard to like a movie when you don't root for the lead character.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 22, 2019

We can't detect any other intention than to depict with a pretty mise-en-scène the story of a generic Amaia Romero. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 13, 2019

Through it all, [Max] Minghella believes in Violet, as does [Elle] Fanning. They both give her character their all, keeping a tight focus on her ups and downs along her journey.

| Oct 21, 2019

This is pure formula, but it's really enjoyable -- glossy with tremendous energy.

| Sep 27, 2019

There are only a few moments to enjoy in Teen Spirit, but it is only in those moments and then you will soon forget. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 5/10 | Sep 11, 2019

Minghella's merit is his ingenious way of giving life to the interior world of his character. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Sep 5, 2019

It should work for music lovers, and those who are looking for a familiar story, told in an original way. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 23, 2019

There is more to it than meets the eye.

| Aug 15, 2019

Elle Fanning sets the screen on fire saving this film from oblivion. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 13, 2019

A more than acceptable... start for [the film's] debut director. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 13, 2019