Steve Coogan plays Campbell Babbitt, a dissolute New York journalist who is known for his way around an inspirational tale -- whether or not it's true. On the eve of the Challenger launch, Babbitt goes to New Hampshire to profile Christa McAuliffe, the local high school teacher joining the astronauts.
Upon arriving, Babbitt immediately winds up in the middle of a group of misfit teens mourning the suicide of an inspirational teacher. Babbitt went to college with the teacher, and the students grab this loose connection like a lifeline.
Glatzer aims to wring laughter out of this desperation but succeeds only in producing a series of contrived characters and situations that make "The Breakfast Club" look like an unfiltered documentary.
That the filmmakers appear to have never set foot on a high school campus (and don't even get me started on the newsroom stuff) serves to make their characters' pain our own, just not in the way intended.
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Glenn Whipp --
"What Goes Up." MPAA rating: R for sexuality, language and some drug use, all involving teens. Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes. In selected theaters.
