I liked this movie, in general. I liked the edginess of the direction and the performances. Mathis is great, she outshines Slater in every scene they have together, though he's good also. Much of the problem comes from the screenplay, which exaggerates every situation to ridiculous proportions. It doesn't have the cheekiness or audacity of "Heathers" to which this movie is often compared.
Despite this, situations often go over the top, like the overreaction of the FCC police ("pirate" radio is legal within a specified broadcast radius) and the laughably tyrannical school administration. Where this movie gets most of its power is with the painful portrayal of teen angst, more realistically played here than in many other places. Wanting to communicate and "connect" with other people is a common theme, but it's done extremely well here.
Despite this, situations often go over the top, like the overreaction of the FCC police ("pirate" radio is legal within a specified broadcast radius) and the laughably tyrannical school administration. Where this movie gets most of its power is with the painful portrayal of teen angst, more realistically played here than in many other places. Wanting to communicate and "connect" with other people is a common theme, but it's done extremely well here.