By Roger Moore

Published: Wednesday, February 13, 2013, 7:21 p.m.
Updated: Wednesday, February 13, 2013

REVIEW

Young love, so sorely tested by vampirism and zombification in “Twilight” and “Warm Bodies,” finds the road to romance sunnier in “Beautiful Creatures,” in which two teens pair up despite the fact that one of them is a witch in training.

The one-liners drawl from the lips of the South Carolina characters like Spanish moss dripping from the oaks in a script so witty it attracted Oscar winners Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons and Oscar nominee Viola Davis in supporting roles.

Alden Ehrenreich gives a breakout performance as Ethan, a dreamer and square peg in the round hole of rural Gatlin, S.C. A high school junior who longs for the day he can escape his provincial life, he's an incessant reader and that manifests itself in his narration and his take on his town.

He's jilted the pretty (but less bookish and more fundamentalist) Emily (Zoey Deutch), but is open to the charms of the “new girl.” Lena (Alice Englert) is a 15-year-old Southern Gothic Goth Girl — dark and mysterious, an aspiring poetess with a sullen sarcasm that is catnip to Ethan.

He ignores the Mean Girl-mongering of Emily, the fear-mongering of the local fundamentalist crusader (Thompson) and the counsel of family friend Amma (Davis). Lena resists the warnings of her patrician uncle (Irons), a recluse who presides over an estate that once encompassed the whole town.

Of course, they're fated to be together in a doomed/forbidden love thing.

Veteran writer-director Richard LaGravenese (“Water for Elephants,” “Freedom Writers”) boiled the Kami Garcia-Margaret Stohl novel down to characters, sharp dialogue and a palpable sense of place.

The story arc has few surprises. We can guess the climax in the opening scenes. But there's something so delicious when Brits such as Thompson and Irons sink their fangs — sorry — into Deep South dialect. Thompson devours scenery, supporting players and dialogue with every “Bless your heart, shooo-gah” in the script, and Irons curls his non-existent moustache over every syrupy zinger.

The film bogs down in the usual attempts at reinventing witchcraft and burdensome research the kids have to do to ensure their love isn't “doomed” after all.

Young Ms. Englert, daughter of the Australian director Jane Campion, is more girl next door than cover girl. She and Davis are tasked with giving the story pathos, but Englert's real job is to hold her own with some of the finest actors to ever grace the screen. She does.

It's Ehrenreich who makes the romantic longing believable enough for us to root for these impassioned teens.

Roger Moore is a film critic for McClatchy-Tribune News Service.

1. Star Trek’s ongoing mission: To infiltrate pop culture
2. “Peeples” star Craig Robinson’s full plate may get even fuller
3. No Audi R8s harmed in making of ‘Iron Man 3’
4. DVD reviews: ‘Cloud Atlas’ and ‘Texas Chainsaw’
5. Silk Screen Festival also gives time to mid-level players
6. Star Trek director boldly goes to conquer non-sci-fi fans
7. ‘Into Darkness’ missing some of that ‘Star Trek’ sense of fun
8. Isla Fisher finds her comfort zone

There are currently no comments for this story.
Subscribe today! Click here for our subscription offers.