Liam’s perpetually backfiring strategizing (particularly his abortive crusade to become unpopular) and self-deprecating narration may be the stuff of comedy, but flashbacks into his dysfunctional family history and the great-hearted efforts of Pete and his friends to set their straight charge straight provide a counterpoint of tender poignancy that make Liam a sympathetic character even in his most befuddled and insufferable moments. Liam is, however, so set on pleasing his father that he complicates matters at every turn, testing the limits of Pete’s patience but never quite exhausting his unconditional love. Liam may be his father’s despair, but he’s not without assets-charm, popularity, sartorial élan, and fashion-marketing savvy-attributes that resonate with the students in Liam’s new high school, and which “Aunt” Pete and his middle-aged glam-rock-band buddies recognize can be molded into the makings of a worthwhile young man. Desperate to avoid banishment to his straightlaced grandparents, Liam pleads for sanctuary with his father’s brother Pete, the gay, estranged, trailer-dwelling black sheep of the family. Geller has kicked his drunken, womanizing, academically underachieving son Liam out of the house during senior year.
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