Plot: Nick (Cary Elwes) has just arrived in town, with a new job and now a new home, renting a guest house in a prosperous neighborhood. His first day at work leads to some serious pressure, as he assigned to research a story that has been bled dry by other reporters, but he is expected to produce fresh details. On the plus side, he meets photographer Amy (Jennifer Rubin) and the two strike up a quick bond, with some sparks that suggest the potential for more than friendship. At home, he winds up with another friend, Adrian (Alicia Silverstone), the fourteen year old daughter of his landlords. While Adrian is a beautiful girl, Nick knows she is jailbait and tries to resist, but the two do share a kiss one night. Now Adrian has taken her interest in Nick to another level, even though he is direct with his refusal to engage her in the kind of relationship she wants. She is hellbent on getting what she wants however and if she can’t have him, she’ll make sure he pays for the rejection.

Entertainment Value: I do love obsessed, unstable females, so of course I keep a special place in my movie collection for The Crush. The narrative is simple, as a teen girl teases an older man and when he turns her down, she uncorks a torrent of vengeance on him and everyone else in her path. Alicia Silverstone stars as teen stalker Adrian in one of her best roles, she really shines here and plays both the cute, innocent girl and the total psycho bitch from hell quite well. She is the driving force behind The Crush and she is more than up to the task, making crazy girls everywhere proud. Cary Elwes is fine too, but he is just a prop in this tale, as Silverstone steals every scene and stakes her claim as the true lead. The supporting cast is solid as well, with Kurtwood Smith, Jennifer Rubin, and Amber Benson in smaller roles. This is a pretty solid thriller with a lot of sinister moments and a unconventional, but highly effective villain. As good as Silverstone is here, I do wish the other characters were more fleshed out, but in the end, she’s the real reason to watch this one. So for fans of thrillers or femme fatales, The Crush has held up and is worth a look.

A couple of bare asses, but that’s all the nakedness. But given the narrative and Silverstone’s age at the time, that’s part of the deal here. The blood might not flow like wine, but we have some fun violence on display. Adrian unleashes wasps on her rival, sabotages her best friend, and fakes a rape, all in the name of love, but none of it is graphic or over the top. But…we do get an incredible superhuman punch when Nick finally lets loose, sending Adrian flying off like a rocket. The dialogue here is good, with mean girl talk, boardroom etiquette, protective father talk, and of course, Adrian’s crazy bitch lines. Silverstone makes the most of the lines, playing either sweet or hellish well and nailing both sides of the role. A highlight for me was an awkward phone call when she lets Nick know the status of her period. I also liked the exchange between Adrian and Amy, where the women verbally spar over the man they both want. A fun scene that is played well by both actresses. On the craziness front, I need to mention that Adrian’s father has built a full size, functional carousel in the attic, which seems so odd but makes a nice locale for the finale. But still, a massive carousel just sitting in this guy’s attic, it earns some crazy points, right? Silverstone’s performance also pushes the needle, then we have creepy closet peeping, a thoughtful shrine devoted to true love, social awkwardness, and as I mentioned before, that insane punch to Adrian’s face. So some solid craziness in this one, without question.

Nudity: 1/10

Blood: 1/10

Dialogue: 5/10

Overall Insanity: 6/10

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