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Tthe older we get, the more we tend to love our youth. As the bills pile up, we long for the simpler days of drinking cider in the park. We often tend to forget the negative aspects: the frustrating lack of independence, the unnecessary violations and doofuses you’re forced to tolerate in the playground. But after spending four hours hanging out with the pretentious teenagers at Mixtape, I felt more comfortable being in my 30s.
Set in a nondescript town in northern California, Mixtape follows the adventures of hard-hitting trio Rockford, Slater and Cassandra as they head to a famous party on their last day of high school. When Rockford is about to leave his friends to move to the big city, he wants to disrupt the gang’s time together in music. Each song on a well-curated mixtape evokes memories of the shared experience.
Whether you’re entering an abandoned dinosaur park or skipping rocks across a beautiful river, the world of Mixtape is always amazing. Combining warm colors and Enter the Spider-Verse-stop-motion animation, every new frame is a joy to watch, cartoonish, dynamic. The original graphics also give it a mixed media feel, as well, combining real world graphics with action, Metal Gear Solid style. But instead of World War II shows with hulking mechs, here’s a young man teaching you the wonders of the Compact Disc.
Even the visuals of the movies (Confused and Confused It’s obvious), Mixtape doesn’t forget that it’s a game, using its songs to create music videos that can be played. As Aussie grunge band Silverchair blasts, your head will be banging Slater’s car with glee. Wayne’s Country pastiche, knocking buttons in time with broken symbols and broken riffs. Remembering Rockford’s infamous first kiss is something else, players controlling two stupid tongues with an analog stick, and awkwardly combining saliva-soaked organs.
There are a lot of other visuals out there, and I’m thinking of teenage pain as fun vignettes. When the police arrive at the house party, for example, there’s a scene in which a terrified Rockford and Slater throw Cassandra into a drunk trolley, drunkenly driving her through the streets, Frogger-like, hitting bumps and crashing down the highway. It’s all silly stuff – but undeniably fun.
After a parent refuses to let one of the teenagers play (ugh!), Smashing Pumpkins’ Love kicks in, raging as Rockford and Slater slide down the street and give the world the middle finger, every obnoxious thing that causes remote cars to explode in their minds. Hidden, Mixtape is not.
Half the appeal, that is, hearing what the 90s bangers cut. Whether it’s Portishead or Devo, each new song is introduced by Rockford looking into the camera, describing the chosen song in an irreverent and irreverent manner. It’s a shake of the movies like High Fidelity and Juno. Yet while High Fidelity uses protagonist Rob’s music to reveal more about his failed relationships, Mixtape’s music selections feel impersonal and self-aggrandizing – closer to a pun-filled Wikipedia than something that enriches Rockford’s character.
There’s a definite joy in life, a palpable joy that comes from watching characters grow before our eyes, reminding us that it’s never too late to do better. However the lack of emotional connection lets the Mixtape down. Despite its pithy one liners, its writing never evokes anything profound. When our group reaches the final party, it is not a time of joy and happiness, a happy ending to the trials and tribulations of our three, but just a box-office drama.
This mixtape, then, plays well, making a fun group of young musicians pay homage to the coming-of-age video. It’s a beautiful and silly set of songs – but without real conflict at the core, the tour fails to match the memorable length of Life Is Strange. Just like the evenings we spend watching old music videos on YouTube, there’s a simple and effortless joy to be had. But once the four-hour show is over, you may be left wishing you had spent your time more wisely.
