Teen Spirit (2019): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Teen Spirit is a 2019 music drama starring Elle Fanning as Violet, Zlatko Buric and Archie Madekwe. It runs 1 hour 33 minutes and earned $1.6 million worldwide. Critics gave it 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and 57 on Metacritic.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 33m (93 min)
- Original language
-
English
- Studio
- Bleecker Street
- After the credits
- Yes Extra scene during or after the credits
What Is Teen Spirit About?
The premise of Teen Spirit without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A shy teenager finds solace and a path to self-discovery through music. When an unexpected mentor encourages her to enter a local singing competition, she grapples with insecurities and must find the strength to share her talent with the world. The experience becomes a journey of personal growth as she confronts her past and embraces her potential.
Teen Spirit Themes & Keywords
· 4 tags- ghost hunting
- haunting
- paranormal phenomenon
- paranormal investigation
Teen Spirit Cast & Characters
Elle Fanning leads the cast as Violet, with Zlatko Buric as Vlad and Archie Madekwe as Luke.
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Elle Fanning as Violet -
Zlatko Buric as Vlad -
Archie Madekwe as Luke -
Stephen Boxer
Also Starring in Teen Spirit
· 16 more- John Locke Gary the Bartender
- Clara Rugaard
- Agnieszka Grochowska Marla
- Vivian Oparah Kelli
- Viktorija Faith
- Elizabeth Berrington Lorene
- Andrew Ellis Roger
- Jordan Stephens
- Ria Zmitrowicz Hayley
- Millie Brady Anastasia
- Antonia Clarke
- Olive Gray Lisa
- Mark Stobbart
- Charlie Mayhew Choreographer
- Ruairi O'Connor
- Hannah Banks
Teen Spirit Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Teen Spirit 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and 57 on Metacritic. Our Echo Score gives it 51/100, strongest in art & craft (65) and weakest in rewatch factor (35).
Teen Spirit Echo Score Breakdown
Teen Spirit delivers a visually appealing directorial debut with uneven narrative and limited lasting appeal. The film’s strength lies in its polished cinematography and the central performance, which most find engaging despite superficial character development. Reviewers point to fun musical sequences and slick club scenes, though criticism emerges around thin plotting and generic dialogue that undercuts emotional investment. When it comes to pace and depth, the story often feels abbreviated and predictable, limiting engagement. Overall, Teen Spirit offers fleeting enjoyment but falls short of substantial resonance on repeat viewings.
Our own 0–100 rating, built from five aspects: art, character, story, the sensory experience and how well a film rewatches.
- Art & Craft 65
The film’s visual design shows polished framing and bright color palettes, lending an energetic sheen to club sequences. Cinematography frequently captures the allure of performance spaces with concise staging. However, editing choices sometimes feel jittery and disorienting, and moodily lit scenes obscure focal details. Direction is confident in style but uneven in coherence, resulting in an aesthetic that is appealing on occasion but lacks consistent precision.
- Character & Emotion 55
Acting is generally solid, particularly Elle Fanning’s poised vocal performances, which anchor the film’s emotional core. Yet character arcs often remain thinly sketched, with limited moments of depth or genuine chemistry between leads. Emotional resonance is dampened by surface-level motivations, and supporting figures rarely achieve memorable presence. In terms of character development, Teen Spirit presents competent performances but offers minimal complexity, curtailing deeper investment.
- Story & Flow 45
The narrative framework follows a familiar star-is-born trajectory updated for a modern setting, yet it unfolds with a brevity that undermines cohesion. Plot progression is predictable, marked by generic dialogue and cursory subplots that resolve too swiftly. Measured pacing gives way to abrupt transitions, and originality is limited to minor deviations from genre conventions. In terms of story flow, Teen Spirit’s slim plot consistently feels underdeveloped, hindering sustained engagement.
- Sensory Experience 55
The soundtrack delivers a handful of catchy pop numbers that amplify performance scenes, and production design uses vibrant lighting to evoke concert energy. Sound design aligns well with musical moments, creating immersive club atmospheres. However, reliance on auto-tune and occasional abrasive audio mixing detracts from clarity, and some visual sequences verge on over-stylized. From a sensory standpoint, the film offers spirited highlights but suffers from uneven sonic and visual consistency.
- Rewatch Factor 35
Initial viewings may entertain with glossy performances and upbeat musical interludes, but the film’s thin narrative and limited character nuance reduce incentives for repeat watches. The pacing and predictable plot provide little new discovery, and few moments carry sustained resonance beyond first impressions. In terms of replay appeal, Teen Spirit offers fleeting enjoyment yet lacks the depth or complexity that encourages long-term engagement or multiple viewings.
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Rotten Tomatoes 73% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 55%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 57 Metascore
User score 5.5
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 60% User score
See on TMDB -
Letterboxd 3.0 /5
28 ratings
See on Letterboxd -
Movie Insider 1.0 /5
See on Movie Insider
Teen Spirit Plot Summary
What happens in Teen Spirit from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
On the Isle of Wight, a shy teenager, Violet, dreams of pop stardom as a way to escape a bleak home life and a sense of being stuck in a small world. She sings in a nearly empty bar, a secret kept from her mother, when an older man named Vlad approaches her, claiming he once sang opera in Croatia and insisting she’s got real talent. Violet isn’t convinced and pushes back, even telling him she’s 21 to deter his interest.
Full summary
The whole story of Teen Spirit, scene by scene
Teen Spirit Box Office
Teen Spirit grossed $1.6 million worldwide. $441,366 came from the US and Canada and $1.1 million (72%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$1.6M
- US & Canada
- $441.4K
- International
- $1.1M
Teen Spirit Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 2 trailers.
- Trailer Official Trailer 2
How Well Do You Know Teen Spirit?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What national singing competition does Violet enter?
Cars in Teen Spirit
4 cars on screen, including the 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle T3 Typ 2 and the Mercedes-Benz V-Klasse W447.
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1989 Volkswagen Caravelle T3 Typ 2 Main role -
Mercedes-Benz V-Klasse W447 Minor role -
2005 Audi A8 D3 Background role -
Jeep Grand Cherokee Background role
Teen Spirit Also Known As
21 alternative titles, including “Max Minghella s Teen Spirit” and “Alcanzando tu sueño”.
- Also known as
-
- Max Minghella s Teen Spirit
- Alcanzando tu sueño
- ティーンスピリット:2019
- Spiritul adolescent
- За мечтой
- 틴 스피릿
- За мрією
- רק רוצה לשיר
- Espírito Jovem
- Moja gwiazda: Teen Spirit
- Духът на младостта
- 少年追梦情
+9 more Show fewer
- 魔力女聲
- ทีน สปิริต
- Teen Spirit - A un passo dal sogno
- Teen Spirit: Pretī sapnim
- Violet hangja
- Jít za svým snem
- Jaunoji žvaigždė
- روح مرحلة المراهقة
- ティーンスピリット
Seen Teen Spirit?
Movies Like Teen Spirit
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Spirit, Teen Spirit and Teen Witch.
Teen Spirit FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, cast, box office, ratings and post-credit scenes of Teen Spirit, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Teen Spirit?
Teen Spirit runs 1 hour 33 minutes (93 minutes).
When was Teen Spirit released?
Teen Spirit was released on April 12, 2019.
Who is in the cast of Teen Spirit?
Teen Spirit stars Elle Fanning as Violet, Zlatko Buric as Vlad and Archie Madekwe as Luke, among 20 credited actors.
How much did Teen Spirit make at the box office?
Teen Spirit grossed $1.6 million worldwide ($441,366 domestic, $1.1 million international).
How is Teen Spirit rated?
Teen Spirit has 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, 57 on Metacritic, 60% on TMDB and 3.0/5 on Letterboxd.
Does Teen Spirit have a post-credit scene?
Yes. Teen Spirit has an extra scene during or after the credits, so it is worth staying seated.
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