Alan Shapiro's first film intended for cinema distribution was (and still is) immensely popular even though it's a bunch of unoriginal nonsense. "The Crush" all the more proves that you don't really need an intelligent idea or a well-plotted story as long as you've got an attractive actress to play the lead-role
Especially not when you manage to convince the audience that she's only 14 years old, but with the curves of an irresistible bikini-model. This is yet another fancy-looking thriller that combines the success of Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" with the typical 'lethal-beauty' premise of "Fatal Attraction", and the result is a very routine and forgettable chiller with depthless characters and predictable situations. The only trump here is a gorgeous Alicia Silverstone in her debut as the obsessive stalker-girl Darian, who takes an unhealthy interest in the new tenant of her parents' studio. He an untalented writer politely turns down her approaches, but this only makes her more aggressive and determined. It doesn't take long before unpleasant things start to happen to the writer and his girlfriend but, of course, nobody suspects the cherubic Darian of being responsible. Cary Elwes' acting is downright awful and he makes Silverstone look like she's Oscar material, even though her performance is mediocre at best. The story moves very slow and doesn't dare to go controversial. Shapiro has the opportunity to insert the taboo-topic of sex with minors but he reluctantly avoids it, like he was already afraid of receiving negative remarks before his film is even released. All the talking about "Wuthering Heights" is really boring and the only few action sequences are very tame. The ending of this film is overly weird and misfit and involves a wild carrousel-ride in the attic
or something like that. The supportive roles are decent, with Kurtwood Smith ("Robocop") as Silverstone's unaware dad and Jennifer Rubin ("Bad Dreams") as the writer's girlfriend.
