Teenage lust is a difficult cross to overcome
“Yes, God, Yes”: Sheltered Midwestern high school junior Alice (Natalia Dyer) goes to the kind of Catholic high school where girls are reprimanded if their uniform skirts don’t measure exactly the right length above the knee and the shame surrounding anything remotely sexual is sacred.
This makes Alice’s quintessential, accidental early 2000s teenage sex education — i.e. via AOL chat room — even more salacious.
Hounded by a false, graphic rumor concerning her and a boy at a party and wanting to rid herself of that good old-fashioned Catholic guilt for her chat room sins, Alice doubles down on her religion and heads to a four-day retreat meant to renew her relationship with Jesus.
Her plan is foiled almost immediately as Alice spots her dreamy football star small group leader (close-ups of his arm hair are accompanied by Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle”) and enters a cycle of hormones, temptation, embarrassment and the misogynist hypocrisy that fans the flames of this territory all too well, coming even from her best friend, Laura (Francesca Reale), and trusted adults Mrs. Veda (Donna Lynne Champlin) and Father Murphy (Timothy Simons).
Dyer gives a great performance as Alice desperately (and badly) tries to lie her way out of awkward situations while privately owning her desires; Reale is a master at exuding all-too-relatable high school vapidity.
When she can’t take it anymore, the distraught Alice stumbles into a lesbian bar and the owner (the great Susan Blackwell) eases her spiritual crisis with a revelation that hits her harder than said book in the Bible: No one really knows what they’re doing. Amen.
Also new on DVD Aug. 25
“The King of Staten Island”: Pete Davidson stars in Judd Apatow’s latest as a young stand-up comic dealing with his father’s tragic death in the Sept. 11 attacks.
“The Trip to Greece”: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon conclude their “Trip” series with a voyage following the steps of Odysseus.
“The Burnt Orange Heresy”: An art collector (Mick Jagger) sends a critic (Claes Bang) on a mission to steal from the collector’s favorite artist (Donald Sutherland).
“Chicago Fire: Season Eight”: The eighth season of the Dick Wolf series opens with Otis (Yuri Sardarov) in a dangerous mattress factory fire.
“Chicago Med: Season Five”: The fifth season of the Dick Wolf series follows the complications of Dr. Manning’s (Torrey DeVitto) car accident and Dr. Rhodes (Colin Donnell) grieving his father’s death.
“Dead Still”: Mystery miniseries follows Victorian Irish postmortem photographers Blennerhasset (Michael Smiley) and Molloy (Kerr Logan).
“Deep Blue Sea 3”: Dr. Emma Collins (Tania Raymonde) and her associates return to Little Happy island to study sharks as a suspicious team puts all their lives in jeopardy.
“Gunsmoke: The Complete Movie Collection”: Collection includes “Return to Dodge,” “The Last Apache” and “To the Last Man.”
“Infamous”: A couple on the lam (Bella Thorne and Jake Manley) livestream their robberies via social media.
“One Night in Bangkok”: A hit man (Mark Davascos) holds a cabbie hostage (Vanida Golten) as he makes his kills.
“SEAL Team: Season Three”: The CBS series picks back up with Jason (David Boreanaz) and the team in Serbia.
“The Flash: The Complete Sixth Season”: The CW series starring Grant Gustin as the beloved DC superhero marches on.
“Washington”: Miniseries follows the life of the country’s first president. Jeff Daniels stars.
On digital HD Aug. 25
“Einstein’s Universe”: The 1979 documentary about the world’s most famous theoretical physicist has been remastered and digitally restored.
“One Man and His Shoes”: Documentary explores the history and legacy of the American sensation that is Air Jordan sneakers.
On digital HD Aug. 28
“Centigrade”: After an intense snowstorm, a man (Vincent Piazza) and his pregnant wife (Genesis Rodriguez) remain trapped in their car.
“Driven to Abstraction”: Documentary examines an infamous $80 million art scheme.
“Entwined”: A doctor (Prometheus Aleifer) becomes enchanted by a reclusive woman (Maria Eglezaki) suffering from a mysterious skin condition. In Greek and English. Will be out on DVD and Blu-ray Sept. 8.
“Rogue”: A hired gun (Megan Fox) sets off with a team to Africa on a rescue mission. Look for it on DVD and Blu-ray Sept. 1
