AllMovie

The sometimes turbulent relationship between two brothers forms the basis for this coming-of-age drama. Curt Martin (Justin Urich) is a high school student who has a gift for music, but has grown up introspective and shy around girls, in contrast with his older and more popular brother, Andy (Eric Balfour). Andy encourages Curt to try out for the school play and, to his surprise, he wins the leading role -- only to discover his brother rigged the audition. Curt quits in anger, and instead signs on as the play's accompanying pianist, with Andy taking over the role Curt abandoned. Curt strikes up a friendship with Lisa, the play's female lead (Keili Lefkowitz), that soon blossoms into romance -- and inspires tension and jealousy between Andy and Curt. Writer and director Kurt Kuenne takes a new approach to an old theme in Scrapbook, which enlivens its tale of sibling rivalry with inventive photography and editing and strong performances from its youthful cast.