Critic's Grade: B-

If you must see "The Perfect Score" for one reason and one reason alone, then see it for the exemplary performance of Scarlett Johansson, who since her breakthrough roles in "The Horse Whisperer" and "Ghost World" has managed to become one of the best young actresses working in Hollywood today. She is a beacon in a movie that is ripe with good ideas, but doesn't quite know how to develop them properly. It tells the story of a group of five teenagers, all high school seniors, who have had their hopes of attending prominent colleges dashed by low S.A.T. scores. Kyle (Chris Evans) wants to attend a school of architecture, while his best friend Matty (Bryan Greenberg) hopes to be with his girlfriend at the University of Maryland. Runner-up valedictorian Anna (Erika Christensen) doesn't do so well under pressure, nor does Desmond (Darius Miles), the star basketball player who hopes to honor his mother's wishes by having a backup plan in case he doesn't make it in the NBA.

Together, with the help of Francesca (Johansson), the daughter of the owner of the building where the College Board keeps the S.A.T. operations, they devise a plan of breaking in and stealing the answers to the make-up test due to take place in two weeks. This is where the movie has quite a few hits and misses, striking some funny chords with the cheeky humor and interactions of its cast members (kudos to Leonardo Nam, who plays the smart stoner Roy to hilarious perfection), but failing to look at the bigger picture of how standardized testing basically negates what students have been taught for many, many years: to be themselves. This argument is presented numerous times through dialogue, but is never fully developed as a potent message, something the movie needs desperately. As for its plot, it's a standardized test in itself, a basic rehash of old ideas and life-changing scenarios where everything turns out okay in the end. Real life knows better than that, and so should "The Perfect Score."

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