| Imperfect High | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Anne-Marie Hess |
| Directed by | Siobhan Devine |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Lifetime |
| Release | September 18, 2021 (2021-09-18) |
Imperfect High is a 2021 drama film produced by Lifetime and starring Nia Sioux, Sherri Shepherd, Gabriel Darku and Ali Skovbye. The film premiered on September 18, 2021 on Lifetime. The film is a sequel to the 2015 movie Perfect High, which stars Bella Thorne, Israel Broussard, Daniela Bobadilla and Ross Butler.
Plot
When high school junior Hannah Brooks and her mother move to Chicago, she begins attending Lakewood High School, the same school that is still affected by Riley's death from six years earlier. Suffering from an anxiety disorder, Hannah worries that she won't fit in; however, it soon becomes the least of her worries when she befriends a group of popular, wealthy students, encounters peer pressure, and develops a life-altering prescription drug addiction.
Cast
- Nia Sioux as Hanna Brooks
- Sherri Shepherd as Deborah Brooks
- Gabriel Darku as Dylan Collins
- Ali Skovbye as Rose
- Anthony Timpano as Rob Walker
- Samuel Braun as Blake
- Andrew McNee as Mr. Arnet
- Princess Davis as Marcy
- Danyelle Tan as Fay
- Melice Bell as Fay
- Jamall Johnson as Principal Andrews
- Deborah Finkel as Nurse O'Connor
- Ecstasia Sanders as Administrator
- Miguel Castillo as Officer Mike
- Aiden Howard as Cy
- Matt Kennedy as Ben
- Eddie Canelea as Waiter
Production
Pre-production
The movie was announced ahead of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, held on June 26. The producers also arranged to share the hotline and resource information for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on air and across the network's social media platforms.
Sioux said in an interview with WJLA-TV that she researched the opioid abuse climate in America to prepare for the role.
Filming
Filmed extensively in British Columbia, chiefly in several locations in Vancouver, production began on March 8, 2021, and wrapped up on March 26, 2021. The shooting took place almost entirely in the Lower Mainland region. Langley Christian High School stood in for Lakewood High.
Casting
Sherri Shepherd and Nia Sioux as Deborah Brooks and Hanna Brooks were cast in June 2021.
Reception
Reviewer Lisa Marie Bowman wrote, "Perhaps there will be a third film — Rapidly Declining High, perhaps — that will explore whether or not the school itself is cursed. ... During its first hour or so, Imperfect High feels a bit overwritten. Everyone is snarky. Everyone has a quip. Rob is perhaps the worst offender. This is one of those films that sometimes seemed to be trying too hard to capture the way that teenagers talk. Things got a little better once Hannah got hooked on pills, if just because the focus went from Hannah and her friends to Hannah and her mother ... But Nia Sioux gives a good performance in her starring debut."
Trevor Wells of VocalMedia called the movie "unimaginative" and gave it a score of 6 out of 10, writing, "'Imperfect' is the ideal word to describe Imperfect High, due largely to how the movie's plot makes it feel less like a sequel and more like a remake. ... The fact that Hanna and her friends can do drugs and meet with their dealer on school property without getting caught even suggests that Lakewood has gotten even more lax in the wake of Riley Taft's death. But after a few overwrought rants from Rob Walker, this potential plot element is forgotten about in favor of rehashing the original's story beats. ... Their characterizations are almost the same as their 2015 counterparts, with only minor alterations. As such, despite the solid efforts of their actors, none of these characters feel as compelling as the ones they're copying."
Dish Nation, in their brief segment "Ticket or Skip It," voted to "ticket."
References
- Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 2, 2015). "Bella Thorne To Star In Lifetime Movie As Teen Heroin Addict". Variety. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- Bibel, Sara (June 8, 2015). "Original Movie 'Perfect High' Starring Bella Thorne to Premiere Saturday, June 27 on Lifetime". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- "Imperfect High". MyLifetime. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- Brown, D'Shonda (17 September 2021). "'Imperfect High' Stars Nia Sioux And Gets Real About Anxiety And Substance Abuse". Girls United. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- "Sherri Shepherd and Nia Sioux tackle opioid crisis in 'Imperfect High'" (video). WJLA.com. WJLA-TV / ABC7 News. 17 September 2021.
- Beg, Mirza Aaqib (18 September 2021). "Where Was Lifetime's Imperfect High Filmed? Is it a True Story?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- Butler, Karen (25 June 2021). "Sherri Shepherd, Nia Sioux land leads in Lifetime's 'Imperfect High'". UPI Entertainment News. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- Bowman, Lisa Marie (27 September 2021). "Cleaning Out The DVR: Imperfect High (dir by Siobhan Devine)". Through the Shattered Lens. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- Wells, Trevor. "Lifetime Review: 'Imperfect High'". vocal.media. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- "Sherri Shepherd Pulls At The 'Heartstrings Of the People' In New Lifetime Movie 'Imperfect High'" (video). Dish Nation. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2023.