The teen movie ruled the roost in the not so distant 1980s, so much so
that many great ones fell through the cracks. Seven Minutes In Heaven is
a much sweeter, more innocent affair than the more bawdy, colorful hits
of the day, but nails high school melodrama superbly. Three best
friends move about their lives together- one boy, two girls. Natalie is
only interested in her future political ambitions, Jeff is into Polly,
and Polly is distressed over not having a boyfriend, until she falls in
love with baseball player Zoo Knudsen. Jeff has trouble at home- a child
of divorce, a demanding stepfather- so he moves in with Natalie
temporarily while her father is out of town. Natalie starts dating
Jeff's friend James, who is not as faithful as she thinks. Seven Minutes
In Heaven specializes in gentle, warm vibrations- it does not avoid the
pitfalls of teen life- bullying, parental problems, teacher
difficulties, first crush fever- rather presents these issues in a less
vulgar, ridiculous, comical way than many of it's contemporaries. The
film captures the aching, longing, bittersweet emotional impact of life
at 16- how every incident, every crush, every moment is a monumental
experience to be held in awe, the newness of living on this planet still
a fresh idea, before the realities of experience spin us in directions
in and out of our control.
