Alan is about to have a date with another young teen; it is a nervous enough affair without him waking up with purple skin. Despite this, he goes ahead and is determined to make an impact no matter what.
There is a great idea at the core of this short film, and in many ways it pitches itself into the "fantasy whimsy" market, whether it be the plot, the look, or the "whimsy" music used throughout. In doing this it actually turns out to be its own worst enemy though, because whatever potential it had is lost in the effort to deliver the genre. The narrative has themes of bravery, being different, and being honest so to find that connection with others – since we are all "different" in our own way. The story is universal, always relevant, and pretty much recognizable to anyone beyond their teenage years. But yet it doesn't work.
The film seems to make so much effort to be whimsical and filled with flights of fancy, that it forgets to deliver the heart and substance of what it is trying to do. The tone is very much where the weakness lies, and it has that sense that it thinks it is much more charming than it is for the duration. In reality, the delivery is technically pretty weak – not basic perhaps, but certainly functional. Performances are down around the same level, not really making real people so much as following the superficial script as it targets that feeling of fantasy charm. The music tops that off and finally it did feel more about it trying to be something, than it really being something, which is a shame because the core concept was a good one.
