‘Here on Earth’ Is a Contrived but Winning Tale of Young Love

Tone down a bit of already reasonably discreet sexual candor and you could believe that “Here on Earth” not only takes place in the ‘50s but was actually made back then. It’s an old-fashioned story of young love, enlivened by an attractive cast and settings, that evolves into a shameless tear-jerker of the most manipulative sort.

This may, however, make it just the ticket for girls in their early teens, for stars Chris Klein, Leelee Sobieski and Josh Hartnett are already teen favorites. You can in fact appreciate the sincerity of their performances even if you find the picture pretty sappy.

Klein’s Kelley is a young man who seems to have everything. In addition to being tall, dark and handsome, he’s also smart and rich. On the eve of Kelley’s graduation from a venerable New England prep school, his father presents him with a Mercedes. Kelley’s not supposed to drive it until after he’s delivered his speech as valedictorian of his class, but what the heck: He and some pals pile in and head for the local diner, traditionally off-limits for preppies in a community beset by unaccountably high town-and-gown tensions.

Kelley is waited on by the lovely Samantha (Sobieski), who has college and possibly medical school in the future and who shares an appreciation for poetry with the sophisticated and cocky Kelley. Their mutual attraction is instantaneous, and thereby Kelley incurs the anger of Samantha’s boyfriend, Jasper (Hartnett), who’s in the diner with his own pals. Pretty soon Kelley and Jasper are caught up in a chicken race that winds up with them crashing their vehicles into the diner/gas station. No one is seriously hurt, but the diner et al. is wrecked by fire.

The upshot is that even though the local judge is happy to have Kelley’s father foot the bill for rebuilding the roadside establishment, she insists that Kelley and Jasper spend their summer helping in its reconstruction. The film doesn’t spend much time with the guys on the job and instead focuses on the more than ample free time that allows Kelley and Samantha to fall in love. Jasper’s and Samantha’s families are less than thrilled with this development, of course, but Kelley and Samantha’s love flourishes.

It would have been good to see whether their relationship would stand the test of time and distance, for it is pretty clear that wherever--or whenever, for that matter--Samantha ends up for her college education, it’s not likely to be Princeton, where Kelley is headed in the fall. But no, writer Michael Seitzman throws in an ancient plot device that in effect arbitrarily takes responsibility away from Kelley and Samantha in regard to working out their destinies so that the film may indulge in some sure-fire heart-tugging.

As contrived as “Here on Earth” seems, it nonetheless benefits from committed direction by TV veteran Mark Piznarski in his feature debut. Indeed, the film is sturdy enough to allow Klein and Sobieski to shine. Hartnett has the toughest role, for he has to become noble and self-sacrificing, which he manages to do without becoming either insufferable or wimpy. “Here on Earth” is a fine-looking film with much pastoral beauty and a quaint village setting, though its neatest trick is to pass off Minnesota as Massachusetts.

* MPAA rating: PG-13, for some sensuality and thematic issues. Times guidelines: The film is too intense for the very young.

‘Here on Earth’

Chris Klein: Kelley

Leelee Sobieski: Samantha

Josh Hartnett: Jasper

Michael Rooker: Jasper’s father

A Fox 2000 Pictures presentation. Director Mark Piznarski. Producer David T. Friendly. Executive producer Jeffrey Downer. Screenplay Michael Seitzman. Cinematographer Michael D. O’Shea. Editor Robert Frazen. Music Andrea Morricone. Costumes Isis Mussenden. Production designer Dina Lipton. Art director James F. Truesdale. Set designers Richard Fernandez, Richard Romig. Set decorator Diana Stoughton. Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes.

At selected theaters.