Grow Up, Tony Phillips, the latest film from young writer/director Emily Hagins has a suffocating charm, something that comes as both a praise and a criticism. This is a coming-of-age story that literally centers on nothing more than what it means to grow up and act our age. The reasons people give to Tony to grow up are well intentioned, but also miss the point. So often, growing up to some equates to putting away hobbies and passions and focusing on a mundane life. However, passions should never be squandered. They can be focused and turned into life-long pursuits. In this age, it’s rare to find a passion that someone else doesn’t thoroughly enjoy as well, and making money through this has never been as common.
Tony Phillips (Tony Vespe) has always had a passion for Halloween. This isn’t about just the infinite candy, though that’s definitely part of the allure. The costumes are his focus, and when we first meet him he is being talked down from wearing his knight costume to the annual Halloween dance for the costume contest. ‘You’re a senior, Tony,’ they reason with him. The ‘they’ here are his two best friends, Elle (Katie Folger) and Craig (Devin Bonnée). They fear that he will be laughed at, as seniors don’t typically dress up for the contest. Tony isn’t vexed by their warnings, though. ‘But it’s Halloween, of course I’m going to dress up.’ To make a little money on the side, Tony also babysits Mikey (Caleb Barwick), a young boy around 10 whom he tries to be a role model for by always sticking to his guns. We are shown a jar of money with something along the lines of “costume funds” written on it, and are led to believe nearly all of his expendable income goes towards his desire to have a great costume.
Hilariously, his first costume is kind of terrible. But by the end, he has something worthy of his passion that you’re able to be proud that he has created. Outside of the Halloween pressure, he’s also facing the common, middle-America dilemma of most seniors: college. His friends are already well into applying for colleges, while Tony seems mostly disinterested as we see an SAT 2013 prep book on his dresser that doesn’t move. When his older cousin Pete (A.J. Bowen) comes back home to visit, he realizes that his life isn’t that out of sorts.
Pete is the only character of significant age that really has any influence in the film. Perhaps it’s not because Emily herself is so young, but I have a sneaking suspicion she doesn’t much care for adult characters when dealing with teenage issues. Their perspective, for a teenager, isn’t accessible. There’s difficulty in relating to them, thus in Grow Up, they are mostly relegated to road blocks and people giving instructions. They’re also, curiously, the only ones with money it appears, whether it’s Mikey’s father or Tony’s mother. Pete doesn’t even have money of his own. They are the gatekeepers in many ways, which is only natural.
For a high school film, there’s a noticeable focus on things outside of sex, with no mention of how much they wanted to get laid or anything of that nature — a common trope in coming-of-age stories, wisely avoided here. Tony is interested in girls, sure, but it’s his best friend Elle that has caught his eye and he’s too afraid to express it. We have one party scene with underage drinking, but even it is fairly realistic contrary to what most high school parties look like in a lot of other films. We are never treated like we’ve never been to high school.
The drama is mostly personal here, as nothing truly significant happens that affects the people outside the scope of the main characters. Even the comedy is low-key, focusing on the awkwardness that stems from Tony. With so many things going under the radar, Hagins excels at keeping her audience invested. One true highlight is an original score by Christopher Thomas who brings a blend of soundscapes while Santiago Dietche provides genuinely catchy songs. You can’t help but tap your foot and wish you knew the lyrics so you could sing along.
Hagins is proving to be a strong voice in the Austin film scene, and her latest is a testament to her potential. Grow Up, Tony Phillips is a steady and charming film that should speak to a lot of people who have found themselves in a similar predicament. You instantly connect to Tony, and Vespe is the standout here. He’s given some range to show he isn’t just a gawky teenager, but he also makes mistakes. He isn’t the perfect protagonist — instead, he’s searching for a direction. Hagins never talks down to her audience and shows in 90 short minutes that high school shouldn’t be the end of having fun.