Movie Review: ‘Casey Makes A Mixtape’

Tweet
Review by James Lindorf

The latest feature from filmmaker Blake Calhoun (Spilt Milk) takes us back to the sunbaked Texas summer of 1981. The coming-of-age story celebrates the friendships, music, and family that fueled the lives of teens as they tried to find themselves in a changing landscape. “Casey Makes A Mixtape” was written and directed by Blake Calhoun, inspired by his own youth, and is now streaming on all major platforms.

Thirteen-year-old Casey (Presley Richardson) is less than thrilled about the long road trip from her California home to a small Texas town. Her mother (Arianne Martin) is on her way to Europe with her latest suitor, one she hopes will be her next husband, leaving Casey in the care of her grandparents, Mimi (Jennifer Griffin) and Poppy (Brad Leland). Casey loves music, and while it isn’t home, the change in location doesn’t hurt her chances of completing her goal of creating the best mixtape ever. She spends her time recording songs from the radio and skateboarding between listener-request hours. One afternoon, while she is out, she runs into Craig (Julian Hilliard), a 12-year-old who shares her interests. The two become fast friends, and the circle expands to include Carrie (Kennedy Celeste), who joins Casey in an epic quest to record a specific song off the radio.

“Casey Makes A Mixtape” is a nostalgia bomb for Gen X and older Millennials. The world before the internet, where venturing out was the only way to gain experience. Getting the chance to meet new people, expanding on and testing new aspects of your personality. The good and the bad that come with testing boundaries are honestly and relatably captured. The trio of child actors all give good performances, which is a testament to them and to Calhoun as a director. Still, their story isn’t always well delivered. An abundance of unnecessary voice-over and a lack of stakes are the heaviest weights pulling the film down.

Poppy has a drinking problem, Craig is always pushing Casey out of her comfort zone, and Carrie is desperate to seem cool. All three of these elements could lead to significant conflict or even tragedy. However, Calhoun never wants to delve into the dark side of our choices; everything is played for laughs, void of consequences. What it lacks in bite and realism, it makes up for with a “The Wonder Years” like charm of good kids living in a “simpler” time.

One simple thing that could have really helped the film would have been more money for the music budget. Casey is out to make a mixtape of the best songs of 1981, and none of them appear in the movie. “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police is her white whale, so it makes sense we wouldn’t hear it for most of the film, but nothing on her list makes it into the movie. Instead, we get a couple of songs from that era by groups who have not maintained the level of popularity and what sounds like modern music with an ’80s flair. The lack of this central element makes the final product feel less authentic or at least less capable of entirely transporting us back to that time.

“Casey Makes A Mixtape” may not be a number-one hit. Still, it is good, easy listening that is great for reminiscing on a lazy day or introducing kids to this time period before they are old enough to be subjected to all of your favorite 1980s John Hughes films. “Casey Makes A Mixtape” comes in at a respectable 3 out of 5.

Rating: Unrated but suitable for ages 8 and up.
Genre: Drama, Coming of Age, Comedy
Director: Blake Calhoun
Screenwriter: Blake Calhoun
Producer: Joey Stewart
Runtime: 1h 36m