The Virginity Hit
The conceit of The Virginity Hit is that the filmmakers want you to think it is real. And certainly the way the actors’ first names are the same as the characters they play and the integration of actual Youtube videos give the film a kind of reality based sheen.
The Virginity Hit refers to a rite of passage for a group of high school teens, one of whom even calls it a spiritual bond. When they lose their virginity they take a ceremonial hit off a gigantic bong. The film loses its virtue in the first reel.
With only one lad left who hasn’t been laid the friends concentrate their attention, and video cameras, on his attempts to make it with his girlfriend. When that goes south the lonely boy hooks up an older lady (she’s in her mid-20s) he met through an internet connection. This part of the film actually comes alive even though it basically apes the plot of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things (Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, itself a film worth seeking out).
The Virginity Hit achieves a delicate balance of comedy and coming of age, although it’s far from being a laugh riot (like Superbad). The production cleverly blends video footage and film footage occasionally taking advantage of its New Orleans setting.
- Michael Bergeron