The Story of a Bad Boy . Austin Chronicle . 03-29-99

The Story of a Bad Boy

DIRECTED BY: Tom Donaghy

REVIEWED: 03-29-99

The Story of a Bad Boy aims to reveal the tribulations of Pauly (Hollingworth), a high-school student in Washakie, New Jersey in 1982 who openly falls in love with his drama teacher Noel (Camargo). To his credit, Donaghy homes in on characterization without sacrificing action. In fact, the hallmarks of this somewhat incohesive film are the foibles and quirks of Noel, who decides to stage The Scarlet Letter as a sort of avant-garde musical for an extremely unappreciative audience. Pauly, of course, tries out for the musical, becomes a chorus boy, and the initially uneasy relationship between Pauly and Noel commences. Whether due to Hollingworth's almost muted, stilted performance or the equally stilted nature of the narrative and the subsequent hasty resolutions, The Story of a Bad Boy fails to come up with anything conclusive.

--Clay Smith

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