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As MINI'S FIRST TIME begins, teenaged Mini's (Nikki Reed) life with neglectful mom Diane (Carrie-Anne Moss) has reached breaking point. Fed up with Diane's insatiable appetite for sex and alcohol, Mini decides to grab life by the lapels, and ventures out to try as many new experiences as she can. Her first challenge presents itself when she decides to become a call girl. Vamping it up, the young girl takes on the role of an embittered seductress, but runs into trouble when her second client is none other than her stepfather, Martin (Alec Baldwin). The film then takes a surprising twist, with Mini and Martin indulging in a passionate affair and plotting to get rid of Diane, for whom they both have a deep-seated hatred.
Writer/Director Nick Guthe laces his story with dark humor, pulling impressive performances out of Reed and Baldwin. Guthe's movie is essentially a commentary on the power of the predatory teenage seductress and the pathetic nature of the men who are so easily wrapped around the little fingers of characters like Mini. Reed, who was so impressive in THIRTEEN, Catherine Hardwicke's much darker exploration of teenage sexuality, is framed as a Lolita-style character who only has to don a bikini to set male tongues wagging, and she takes to the role with a delicious gleam in her eye, easily becoming the star of the show. The film is stylishly shot, with plenty of film noir conventions, and the characters often mirror the cast other intelligent teen flicks such as HEATHERS and Don Roos's HAPPY ENDINGS. But ultimately, MINI'S FIRST TIME is a well executed and wickedly funny tale that keeps viewers guessing right up to its unexpected climax.
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