In “The Young Unknowns,” Charlie (Devon Gummersall) is a spoiled, young prick who’s been living large in his Daddy’s plush Hollywood Hills house since the old man has relocated to London–and is raking in that big (?) UK money, directing commercials. Indeed, Charlie is a clichéd, whiney, self-centered, mean-spirited little bastard (please refer to the Steely Dan song “Showbiz Kids”), who shows his long-suffering girlfriend, Paloma (Arly Jover), no respect. He sits around gloating about how great his first “spec” commercial came out, and how he’s going to be a big wheel making some very gripping commercials for Chuck Wagon and the like.
The film takes place over the course of a day where his equally annoying friend, Joe (Eion Bailey) shows up with his new spokesmodel-style gal pal, Cassandra (Leslie Bibb) on his arm and a ton of bullshit on his lips. As the hours tick by, the two post-adolescent f**k ups and their women meander through a series of childish escapades until Charlie is hot with the news that his long-estranged mother has drank herself to death while off making a new life for herself with some dude in that swinging babylon called Vermont.
Will this news shock snotty Charlie into leaving his a*****e ways behind and becoming an upstanding director of Summer’s Eve and 1-800-Collect commercials? Don’t bank on it. Mom’s death just ends up being another excuse for Junior to feel sorry for himself and act out in front of his coke-abusing comrades. This leads to tragedy when Cassandra OD’s on Joe’s righteous stash of ‘caine while our two male leads run around the house acting like twelve-year-olds as the airhead model lays dying on the fabulous wall-to-wall carpeting.
The four principal actors in “The Young Unknowns” are clearly talented and they deliver spirited performances, but the glaring repugnance of the Charlie character is just too big an obstacle for them to overcome. The film wants to be a revealing character study of aimless Hollywood wannabes, but the story is just not compelling enough to make the viewer care.
