We the Party 2012

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: Van Peebleses ... populate the movie, and all are serviceable enough as actors; it would be nice to see them in less earnest, more original material. Read more

Alison Willmore, AV Club: How to resist a film in which one kid taunts another by quoting Mo'Nique's monologue from Precious? Read more

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: Heavy-handed teen drama mixes moralizing and partying to uneven effect. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: A colorful but superficial mess. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Mario Van Peebles' self-produced project comes frustratingly close to his high-minded aims. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: A good-natured high school dramedy that borrows from many others... Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Despite its flashy cinematography and colorful sets, it contains a great deal that is serious about growing up in America today. Read more

Andrew Schenker, Time Out: It's an uneasy mixture of crude yukking and mixed-message uplift that satisfies on neither level. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: Every time it dabbles in real-world teen issues like sex and drugs, it returns to a fanciful high school where kids quote Nietzsche and play acoustic guitar on lunch breaks. Read more

Robert Koehler, Variety: The pic feels like a quickie knockoff between major projects, offering the writer-director's handsome son Mandela and other younger Van Peebles loads of screentime. Read more

Karina Longworth, Village Voice: Van Peebles's heart is probably in the right place, but his attempt to wed his kids' generational moment to a classic coming-of-age template falters in its message-obsessed execution. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: With the raunch of "American Pie" and the heart of an after-school special, the comedy turns out to be a lot less than the sum of its parts. Read more