Big Time Adolescence 2019

16-year-old Monroe “Mo” Harris Griffin Gluck is escorted out of class by a police officer, a stark opening that sets the stage for a story about a teenager pulled into a dangerous cycle of influence and risky choices. Mo’s world is shaped by his close ties to his older sister Kate Emily Arlook and by the presence of her ex, Isaac “Zeke” Presanti Pete Davidson, a 23-year-old with little to show for his life beyond casual jobs, marijuana, and alcohol. Despite the age gap, Zeke remains a constant companion for Mo, and Mo’s parents Reuben Jon Cryer and Sherri Julia K. Murney worry about the influence he wields.

Mo spends much of his time with Zeke, their circle of friends, and Zeke’s girlfriend Holly Sydney Sweeney. It’s at a senior party—hosted with Zeke’s casual help—that Mo first gets drawn into the world of drinking, drugs, and new social power. Zeke helps Mo snag drinks for the party and even supplies him with weed to sell, a move that earns Mo credibility among older students and opens doors Mo never imagined. During this night, Mo meets Sophie Oona Laurence, and their brief conversation leads to exchanged numbers, setting up a connection that will test Mo’s loyalties and priorities.

Later, Mo takes Sophie out for sushi, a simple date that becomes a turning point when they retreat to Zeke’s place to hang out. The night ends with Mo and Sophie sharing a kiss, an event that earns Mo the nickname “Tongue Daddy” from his peers, a label that Zeke later tattoos onto his chest. The next day, Mo returns home exhausted and high after a hot-boxed car ride with Zeke, and his father notices the tattoo, grounding Mo and grounding his relationship with Zeke. This moment marks the beginning of Mo’s growing conflict between wanting to do right by Sophie and the allure of the attention he gets from Zeke and his circle.

Mo persists in supplying drugs and alcohol at parties, an arrangement that Zeke actively encourages by continuing to supply him and, at one point, quitting his own steady job due to the money involved. This dynamic pulls Mo further away from Sophie, who grows angry as he drifts away. When Mo tries to explain himself, Sophie shuts him out. Around the same time, Holly reveals that she and Zeke have broken up because of Zeke’s cheating, and she ends up sleeping with Mo. The relationship with Holly becomes a complicated thread in Mo’s already tangled life.

Meanwhile, Stacey—another classmate who appears in the story—drives his friends to a party, and a reckless night of drinking ends with Stacey’s mom’s car driven into a ditch while the passengers flee. When Stacey returns the next day, the car is missing, and a police officer arrives at the school to question him about who supplied the drugs they found in the car. The pressure from authorities begins to close in on Mo and his circle.

Back at Mo’s home, the tension comes to a head when officers come to Mo’s house after a tip from Stacey. Zeke helps Mo slip away to his place, and Mo breaks down, confessing that he has become the very kind of person he never wanted to be. Zeke offers to take the fall for Mo’s drug distribution, but Mo refuses, insisting that he must face the consequences himself.

The fallout is swift and severe: Mo is expelled from school and sentenced to community service. Reuben confronts Zeke, orders him to stay away from Mo, and even briefly lashes out at him when Zeke refuses to comply. The film then jumps three months forward to a quiet, almost inconspicuous scene: Mo, now moving forward with his life in fits and starts, stops at a fast-food restaurant for a routine drug test and encounters Zeke working at the drive-thru window. They share a brief, tentative moment of acknowledgment before Mo drives away, and the camera lingers on Zeke, who sits on the curb with his head in his hands, smoking a blunt and facing an uncertain future.

Throughout this arc, the film presents a raw, unflinching look at peer pressure, loyalty, and the slow erosion of boundaries that can occur when a vulnerable teenager falls into the orbit of an older, reckless friend. The emotional weight lies in Mo’s internal conflict: the pull toward belonging and acceptance in a world that seems to reward risky behavior, versus the desire to protect the future he’s trying to build—with genuine moments of tenderness, such as his relationship with Sophie and his longing to reconcile with her after the chaos, tempered by the gravity of his actions and their consequences. The result is a tense, observational drama that tracks a young life spiraling—and the painstaking, painful steps taken to regain footing when the dust settles.