Sep 16, 20212 min read

The Crush Review - When Alicia Silverstone Was Hot Property

★★★

Directed by: Alan Shapiro

Written by: Alan Shapiro

Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Cary Elwes, Kurtwood Smith and Jennifer Rubin

Throwback Film Review by: Rachel Pullen

The Crush (1993) Film Review

Alicia Silverstone and Cary Elwes in The Crush

Remember last week when I spoke about my fetish for those mid nighties domestic thrillers if that's what you call them? If not I am copyrighting that name, keep away Hollywood I got lawyers, and we reviewed early 2000's classic Domestic Disturbance, with its all-star cast and car phone issues...of course you do, because what else do you do but wait in a dark room for my next film review to drop...anyway, I mentioned a little number called The Crush, and if you know anything about the mid nighties, you will remember that Alicia Silverstone was hot property and if you know anything about me, it’s that I love mid nighties domestic thrillers.

The Crush tells the tale of a young 14-year-old girl called Adrian, whose rich parents don't really pay attention to her because they are busy being...well rich and they are so rich they have a spare mini house thing and decide to rent it out for the summer, think Air BnB before it was a thing and ruined property rental prices for regular folks.

A dashing man in his late 20's takes up the offer, he is young, hip and a budding journalist, he smokes cigars and has a cool retro car, so obviously our sweet innocent Adrian starts up a friendship with him, and his casual attention to her leads, in her mind, to mean super strong love feelings...Typical dude style he is oblivious and gets a girlfriend his age, the girlfriend is like, she wants to jump ya bones, be careful and he is like look...I have cigars and a cool car, then they skip over it, later Adrian accuses him of assault and he is like hmm maybe my girlfriend has a point, but oh no, I have deadlines to meet...and they skip over it, then she does a bunch of shrine building and bee attacks and he is like....oooooh I get it now, and we all slow clap as he crosses the finish line.

The Crush could be seen as the made-for-TV version of Lolita, it’s got some plot holes and unrealistic situations, but at the same time they cram it all into an hour and a half, it’s fast-paced, frantic and that kind of makes it fun.

It feels like the adrenalin of a teenage crush, never forget Romeo and Juliet were only in love for five days, which resulted in the death of a bunch of folks...teenage love is always a flash in the pan, and The Crush certainly encompasses that feeling.

In short, The Crush has some flaws which we could sit here and call out, but we can never say it’s not entertaining, The Crush is a film that is accessible to a wide audience, that has a little something for everyone, and keeps you strapped in for the whole time, this film doesn't dip or slow down and that certainly is a plus!

So this week what can we take away.