Teenagers dressed head to toe in leather, puffing on cigarettes. Teenagers breaking bottles over each others heads. Teenagers speeding down the wrong side of the freeway.

This is typical behavior, according to Gia Coppola’s portrayal of a group of dysfunctional high schoolers in “Palo Alto.” Based off short stories about James Franco’s fleeting youth, it follows a group of privileged teenagers who are emotionally unstable and fully dissatisfied with everything they have.

The best thing about this film is the soundtrack. Devonté Hynes from Blood Orange created the score, and the movie features popular tracks from Mac DeMarco, Coconut Records, and Robert Schwartzman. The cinematography  is also visually pleasing. The first creation from director Gia Coppola, it shows off her ability to create visual and auditory connectivity in filmmaking.

Nat Wolff gives a great performance, making a truly jerk of a character strangely lovable. Jack Kilmer also gives an honest and raw portrayal of his character Teddy.

However, the movie falls short in its plot and substance, which are virtually nonexistent. All the characters have separate, yet unclearly overlapping, storylines. Emma Roberts plays April, who has a creepy soccer coach (James Franco). Simultaneously, April is madly in love with Teddy, who shares the same feelings, though the two characters rarely interact. Teddy’s rambunctious sidekick, Fred, likes pyrotechnics and carries around butcher knives, but the film never gives his unstable and angry personality a clear root or explanation.

“Palo Alto” nicely captures the clash between childhood and adulthood that most of us experience in high school, but it’s hard to relate on a deep level to the characters due to their extreme and borderline unrealistic methods of coping with the uncomfortability that is coming-of-age. The film definitely has its strengths but falls short in creating a truly relatable representation of typical and healthy high school life. While it has beautiful cinematography, a killer soundtrack, and some star performances, the film lacks any valuable substance.