TV viewers who follow Sarah Michelle Gellar’s weekly battles with bloodsucking monsters on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” might be shocked by the transformation their feisty little heroine undergoes in the new feature film “Cruel Intentions.”
Gellar’s character snorts cocaine and curses like a sailor in the sordid R-rated update of “Dangerous Liaisons.” She plays a spoiled high school girl who challenges her stepbrother to deflower a newly arrived virgin. If he succeeds, she promises, he can have his way with her as well.
Now that hardly seems very Buffy-like, does it?
Which brings us to a problematic offshoot of the current cross-pollination between teen-oriented TV and theatrical films. While fresh-faced stars such as Gellar may be eagerly jumping to much edgier features, it may be inappropriate for many of their young fans to make the leap with them.
Yet those young viewers are essentially the target audience for the films, which means that if you’re a parent concerned about what your adolescent children see at the local cinema, you could have a huge hassle on your hands.
For better or worse, teenagers are the prized demographic in Hollywood these days, and films aimed at them are sprouting. According to estimates, there are approximately 60 high school-themed movies in production or development.
But here’s the catch: The new batch of films don’t exactly consist of the innocent Molly Ringwald/John Hughes-type content that many latter-day Baby Boomers cut their teeth on. They’re steamier than ever, and are brimming with casual (sometimes unprotected) sex, violence and drug use.
“I abhor some of these teenage movies,” producer Aaron Spelling told Newsweek magazine. “I think they’re going too far.”
Normally, such a quote could be dismissed as the rantings of a stodgy old coot. But this is Aaron Spelling — the man who has capitalized on sex (“Melrose Place”) and raging hormones (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) throughout his lengthy television career. If he’s shocked, think about what your reaction might be.
There’s a strange dynamic at work here. Many of the feature-filmmakers are relying on throb-worthy hunks and babes from TV shows such as “Buffy” and “Dawson’s Creek” because they come with a built-in audience. But that audience is teeming with 12-to-17-year-olds.
But don’t be overly naive. It isn’t as if TV is a safe, sanitized haven these days. James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes and Co. constantly talk about sex on “Dawson’s Creek.” Buffy, meanwhile, has had a sexual relationship with Angel (David Boreanaz). And both shows air in what used to be known as “the family hour.”
