rooprect If you're drawn to this movie because of its DVD box description--something about a "scorching", "seductive", "dangerous" and "sizzling hot" drama--hmm, you might be let down. Ironically enough, if you're somewhat turned off by that sensational marketing but decide to watch it anyway, read on because there's a real treat in store.I have absolutely no clue how I ended up watching this. I'm well past my teen years, and what's more, my teen years weren't exactly something anyone would write a movie about. My high school experience was about as sizzling hot as the Brady Bunch. I didn't really want to see a bunch of stylish supermodel teenagers doing all the naughty things I wish I could've done in some alternate universe designed by Mtv.Well, almost immediately I realized that's not the angle this movie chose to take. First of all, the acting is very genuine. Not like a bunch of cool vampires who speak entirely in clever 1-liners, but the way real humans speak to each other: sometimes awkward, sometimes goofy, with very real emotion and natural language, almost as if the actors departed from the script and would ad lib their lines, jokes and reactions. So OK, I thought, real characters and believable dialogue is a major plus. I'll keep watching another 20 minutes or so. (Aside: be sure to watch the deleted scenes for some amazing, brutally honest scenes with excellent acting. Why they got cut I have no idea except that maybe "real life" type conversations are too boring for the average moviegoer?)And then the real theme of the story emerges, grabbing me hook, line, and sinker. Sure, it's about a bunch of teens who form a strange (some would say perverse) 6-way love hexagon. But really their strange arrangement is meant to be the opposite of the rampant, casual sex hookups that all the other high schoolers are trying to do. Make no mistake: this is NOT about any sort of diabolical kinky sex orgy. The director was very careful to avoid all that, as well as drugs, alcohol (ok maybe I saw 1 beer), and gratuitous profanity, because all of that would've upstaged the real point of the story.And so the central question emerges: is an exclusive 6-way love relationship morally inferior to a love life of fleeting hookups? Or more directly to the point: is it better to have a bunch of trusted friends-with-benefits, or take your chances in the whole boyfriend-girlfriend meat market? Furthermore, what happens when you fall for someone who can't understand the logic in your deviation from the norm?This is what I meant by "Chasing Amy" in my title. "Normal Adolescent Behavior" challenges the viewer by presenting a type of "abnormal" or "deviant" sexual idea that can actually make more sense than our normal human mating rituals. And, as in Chasing Amy, severe conflict arises when a deviant character and a normal character fall for each other.What I really liked about this movie is that nothing is canned. Nothing is black & white predictable, and each character undergoes dynamic changes just like we do in real life. Nobody is the designated good guy or the obligatory villain (although Kelli Garner "Billie" has a few awesome psycho scenes that would make Glenn Close shake in her boots). What we get is a very appealing, realistic and mature portrayal of relationships that could apply to anyone, not just 17-year-old high schoolers.In fact, the high school setting made this story more universal because it wasn't weighed down by the adult baggage that grownups have. Also this movie remains relatively tame, believe it or not. There is some nudity but only when necessary to convey a point, and even then the nudity is obscured or blurred.So yes, if you're looking for a scorching sizzling seductive late-nighter, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you're up for an intelligent, morally challenging exposé of love, sexuality and the bizarre mating rituals of the human species, then grab your popcorn and settle in.

wes-connors Six "20-something" high school students have been best friends forever. Upon coming of age, they decide to avoid adolescent sexual angst by pledging to only screw around with each other. But, things get sticky for the sextet when hot Amber Tamblyn (as Wendy Bergman) gets a load of hunky new neighbor Ashton Holmes (as Sean Mayer). Should Ms. Tamblyn stay with her sex buds - Kelli Garner (as Billie), Raviv Ullman (as Price), Stephen Colletti (as Robert), Julia Garro (as Ann), and Edward Tournier (as Jonah) - or split for Sean? Surprisingly, nobody considered having Mr. Holmes join the group. This would have made the film more dynamic, and could still deal with the "one" v "multiple" partners debate. Also, Holmes could teach Ms. Garner (the only one who never broke the rules of the group) how to give a good spanking; because, as the group's unofficial leader, she really should know. The spanking scene between Tamblyn and Holmes is about as daring as the sexcapades get - although some more adventurous fun is implied to be going on.For some reason (possibly, to deceive you into thinking there is more nudity in this film), the studio decided to re-title this film "Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2" somewhere along the way to its DVD release. Be advised, "Normal Adolescent Behavior" has nothing to do with "Havoc" (2005), which was a good story derailed by some strained performances (Freddy Rodriguez was good, though).This film features a very connected Tamblyn (from "General Hospital", and the daughter of Russ Tamblyn) giving writer/director Beth Schacter an excellent lead performance. Tamblyn shows the dramatic fire of young Sally Field; hopefully, she'll have a long, successful career. And, you may recognize "Raviv Ullman" is indeed "Ricky Ullman" from "Phil of the Future", showing dramatic range of his own.Ms. Schacter works incredibly well with the cast. In probably the best-written of the secondary roles, Ms. Garner shows why she should be a more well-regarded actress. Actually, all the supporting cast members, including "Watchmen" comic reader and cookin' little brother Daryl Sabara (as Nathan), leave you wanting to see more of their film work... so, can anyone explain, after seeing him in this film, why Mr. Tournier has only ONE feature film credit? ******* Normal Adolescent Behavior (4/27/07) Beth Schacter ~ Amber Tamblyn, Ashton Holmes, Kelli Garner, Ricky Ullman

freedomformumia This movie was...terrible. I rented it from the store I work at because I thought it looked interesting, and I was just so disappointed. At the bottom of windows media player, I have a little timer that shows how much time is left in the movie. With twenty minutes left, I realized that I didn't care about any of the characters. I barely knew them! The only character that showed any development was Sean, and that was him turning into a complete jerk for no reason.The movie makes no sense. Why would this chick ditch her best friends for a guy after knowing him for like two days, and continue to stay with him even after he starts treating her like trash? "I'M OFFERING YOU ME FOR THE FIVE OF THEM, WENDI!" Who cares? What is this guy,some kind of uber-boyfriend? And why was everyone in the movie so creepy? Also, the little brother had no point in the movie. He shows up for like a few minutes and completely creeps out Sean, then later on gets the hots for his mom. Then all of a sudden, BAM. The dad tells him that it's 'not a good time', and we never hear about that again. What, did Sean's parents disappear? The subplot is never resolved! It had some interesting dialogue, and it was kind of cool how the clique was just a microcosm of life as a teenager (or the media's portrayal of it, at any rate), but I just found myself bored watching this movie. If you're ever awake at 3 A.M. and have homework due, but decide to watch a movie instead, don't watch this one. It's unrealistic, uninteresting, and every single character will weird you out. Blah.

cocomo1997 I rented this movie without knowing what it was about, and therefore I had no expectations. The first thing I liked about the movie was that there was a large group of friends represented, and that stereotypes at seemingly been thrown out the window. Of course, the high school representation wasn't very realistic on the whole.I liked the characters, but i thought that the movie could have been so much better if Amber Tamblyn's "Wendy" wasn't the only main subject in the movie. The group of friends is so tight, and they've been together since elementary, so I didn't buy that Wendy's choice to leave the group would cause the friends to disband, seemingly forever. Personally i think a more realistic angle would've been to showcase each individual in the group of friends, as they all seemed to have an interesting back story. The characters Robert and Jonah for instance, are revealed to have been sleeping together at the end. Both characters were practically mute throughout the film. I feel their story could have been explored more. As could've Pryce's insecurities within his tight knit group, and Billie's controlling need for them all to be together. Ann could've been given a bit more depth as well. I feel it would've been more realistic if all their problems were explored and the group disbanded because of all of them, not just Wendy's whims with love outside the circle.Speaking of which, their love didn't seem interesting enough for her to want out of her friend's arrangement so bad. The character Sean just seemed like an ass.Overall i enjoyed the friends together since they all seemed to click rather well, but thought that the plot was poorly done.