Uneasily set between two genres, Mystery Date begins as a teen comedy, then becomes a thriller full of guns, explosions and sinister villainy. Tom (Ethan Hawke) a lost, not-so-happy teenager perpetually overshadowed by his suave, good-looking elder bro Craig. Tom dreams of a rendez-vous with the beautiful girl next door Geena (Teri Polo), but cannot even bring himself to say hello.
Things are to change when Tom's parents are away for a weekend and Craig pays a surprise visit. He calls Geena and arranges a date for Tom. Then turns Tom into the virtual image of himself: hipness incarnate. At Craig's suggestion, Tom calls for a limousine which does not arrive. So Tom borrows his brother's cool car.
The date kicks off wonderfully. Geena is nice smart and pretty, and she seems to really like Tom. But wherever they go, strange things happen. Women slap Tom and men threaten to beat him up - all mistaking him for Craig. Then matters turn truly ugly when Tom finds an armed corpse in the trunk of his brother's car.
For the most part this movie works quite well, balancing black comedy and thriller skilfully. Ethan Hawke's acting is endearing. The denouement is a bit of a let-down, but that doesn't mar what is essentially a rather enjoyable picture.
Things are to change when Tom's parents are away for a weekend and Craig pays a surprise visit. He calls Geena and arranges a date for Tom. Then turns Tom into the virtual image of himself: hipness incarnate. At Craig's suggestion, Tom calls for a limousine which does not arrive. So Tom borrows his brother's cool car.
The date kicks off wonderfully. Geena is nice smart and pretty, and she seems to really like Tom. But wherever they go, strange things happen. Women slap Tom and men threaten to beat him up - all mistaking him for Craig. Then matters turn truly ugly when Tom finds an armed corpse in the trunk of his brother's car.
For the most part this movie works quite well, balancing black comedy and thriller skilfully. Ethan Hawke's acting is endearing. The denouement is a bit of a let-down, but that doesn't mar what is essentially a rather enjoyable picture.