A young actor deserving of favorable clippings

Mike Swanson

Savvy viewers of “Clipping Adam” at the Newport Beach Film Festival

will extract shortly after it starts that they aren’t about to watch

a movie about a Bris.

The first character in view is a tall, lanky teen with a mane of

hair -- but not the shaggy do hanging out the trucker hat that

several surfers sport. Adam has a glam-rock, Whitesnake set of locks.

It’s a thoroughly “uncool” look for an eighth-grader in modern-day

Carlsbad, the setting of the film, but Adam (Evan Peters) doesn’t

care. He hasn’t cut his hair in two years and two months, since his

mother and younger sister died in an accident, and he doesn’t plan to

let “clipping,” or hazing seniors, break his streak with a

head-shaving.

Add an irresponsible father (Chris Eigeman) who’s been drinking

rum and cokes since the accident, a supportive grandmother (Louise

Fletcher) and a ridiculously Herculean, mentoring priest (Kevin

Sorbo), and the framework of characters contributing to a teen’s

struggle to overcome loss is sufficiently set.

The film has a sketchy, predictable plot and a conclusion tied

together with a satin ribbon, but it’s a nice little family flick.

Peters, however, makes the movie worth the money of anyone who enjoys

watching a natural actor at work. In scenes alongside his more

renowned cast members, the now-17-year-old Peters steals them all.

Fletcher -- best known for her Oscar-winning role as Nurse Ratched in

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” -- is fine playing Peters’ loving

grandmother, as is Eigeman -- a fixture in Whit Stillman’s

high-talking films -- playing the tortured, drunk dad.

Peters, in his film debut, is in another class. He has that

capability of making you forget you’re watching an actor. There’s

nobody harder for an actor to create than a real person, and Peters

does it resoundingly playing a somewhat aloof teen who gets into

trouble but can’t help being quietly likable.

This film certainly won’t win best picture at the festival, but if

it gave a breakthrough performance award, Peters would be a serious

candidate. If you can sit through the formulaic plot and some

uncomfortably-off depictions of teenagers, then “Clipping Adam” will

treat you to the work of a young actor who will likely move on to

bigger and better things. And you can see Nurse Ratched in a

different light.

“Clipping Adam” will screen at 6:15 p.m. Friday at the Edwards

Island 6.

* MIKE SWANSON is the assistant city editor. He may be reached at

(949) 574-4286 or by e-mail at mike.swanson@latimes.com.