In this made-for-teen comedy, we are first introduced to Sam Leonard (Ryan Pinkston), a heady math-lover, who transfers to a new high school on scholarship. Bored with his life and desperate for meaning, he seeks advice from a pessimistic guidance counselor, Mike Hanbo (Craig Kilborn), who lets Sam in on the secret value of dishonesty. Within the first few minutes of the film, the viewer is confronted with both an ethical dilemma and cultural evaluation that is strikingly ‚ albeit unfortunately ‚ accurate.

  Cluttered speech and physical discomfort seem to indicate that this is Samís first experiment in lying. Even sans-eloquence, he is somehow able to convince campus hunk Kyle Plunkett (Joshua Close) that Carmen Electra has dyslexia and is thus unable to spell her own name. He goes on to feed his math teacher the classic excuse ìthe dog ate my homework,î and when asked how he liked his brussels sprouts during dinner the same night he tells his mom he would ìeat them for every meal if he had the choice.î Sam begins to pride himself on his lies and although none of them find expression in reality, through them he discovers escape from the doldrums of his circumstances.

Eventually the little black cloud above him grows larger and larger, and when his behavior jeopardizes his math scholarship, his mom and dad initiate a heated confrontation. It is at this point that both the quality of acting and plot take a turn for the worst. Finally feeling vindicated from this dishonesty, he recoils and refuses to quit lying. In an angry panic, Sam runs into his bedroom and slams his mirror- covered door, which shatters the glass completely. Sam stares into his broken reflection and we are made aware that everything is about to change.

  From this point on, Samís life is turned upside down (I only use clichÈ because itís fitting with the remainder of the plot). He is no longer seen among his peers as an awkward, chubby, and booky dweeb who canít manage to tell the truth because he canít manage to think of anything interesting to say for himself. Suddenly the most popular girl in school, Vicki Sanders (Amanda Walsh), can hardly keep her hands off him, his dad is a member of washed-up hair band Poison, and a Porsche awaits him in the garage. We soon come to understand that tied up in the episode of the broken mirror the night before was some sort of hocus-pocus that mysteriously transformed Samís claims from lies to reality.

Sam is thrilled with his newfound fame, but he comes to the realization that this alternate reality heís created by lying is equally unfulfilling as his life before. Once Sam realizes that his meaning is found less in how good he can make himself sound, and more in the contentment of who he really is, he embarks a mission to destroy everything about the new life heís created. Thinking everything has returned to normal now that he has broken ties, he falls asleep only to wake up the next morning with a brand new Porsche and Vicki Sanders begging to take his virginity. And although I could predict that at some point, Sam would return to his previous existence and fall in love with his booky and despondent counterpart, Annie Dray (Kate Mara), there was one unexpected twist ‚ that the plot could actually get worse. So, with another abracadabra, Sam is thrust back into his pre-lie reality. Only this time, heís able to see the value in life and comes to grips with the fact that his identity is tied up more if self-acceptance than self-appraisal.

There is some good to be said about this film: it makes an attempt to communicate something about morality (however misguided the approach), connects with the existential crisis of all people, and clearly alludes to the current cultural acceptance of dishonesty for the sake of personal advancement.

  The dialogue was neither entertaining nor engaging, and every joke left something to be desired (a laugh perhaps?). And although I was a bit embarrassed that the writers chose to center the plot on a bad luck charm, I canít help but imagine it played a part in the turnout of this film. Maybe after 13 tries they can rub their rabbit foot and come out with a good film. Knock on wood.

The only thing more disappointing than the plot is that this movie hasnít already left the theaters for DVD. I give Full of It 2 out of 5 Plexiglas mirrors.

  ============================

Andrew is a writer, photographer, and musician who equally enjoys evenings and mornings. He works at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall and spends much of his free time creating lists full of tasks that only whittle down future free time. He considers pepper-jack cheese a most handsome union of pungency and spice. You can reach him on his blog at thispres entsojourn.blogspot.com