What sort of Twilight Zone had I tapped into where a 27-year-old comedian was hanging out with two accomplished teen actresses and an up-and-coming teen heartthrob? So after a few seconds of googling, I discovered that the video in question was for the indie rock band Best Coast, it was directed by the ever-surprising hipster queen Drew Barrymore, and it also stars Alia Shawkat (Whip It) and Shailene Woodley ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager"), who is unrecognizable in the video.
What impressed me the most about it wasn't the star-studded cast though, but the concept. When I first read that it was a modern day Romeo & Juliet, a mix of West Side Story and Grease, I thought it would just be another half-baked rehash. But in this version, Moretz and Cosgrove play members of the Night Creepers gang, which is led by Shawkat, and Glover and Posey are members of the Day Trotters gang, which is led by Woodley. Moretz and Cosgrove get caught on Day Trotters' territory. Cosgrove gets beat up, and Moretz meets Posey and falls in love. She asks him to run away with her, and he responds by spray-painting the words "I Can't" on the wall. At the end of the video, we discover that she ran away in disappointment before she was able to read the rest of his message written around the corner, which was an acceptance of her request. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurs before she figures this out. So just like in Romeo & Juliet, a case of misunderstanding destroys any chance of destined lovers, initially at odds, ever being together. Not bad Barrymore.
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