‘Crush’ Review: A Banksy Who Might Shred Homework

A mysterious artist and a love triangle are at the center of this high-school comedy, which can’t quite decide whether to be preposterous or sincere. “Crush,” the debut feature of the director Sammi Cohen, is a cuddly, flimsy teenage comedy about a high-school love triangle. The plot hinges on two secrets: the identity of a mysterious campus artist known only as King Pun (whose oeuvre includes spray-painting the words “nice rack” by the gym’s basketball cart) and the furtive kisses enjoyed by Paige (Rowan Blanchard), a frustrated, love-struck young illustrator who is suspected of being King Pun. Paige’s flames, Gabriela (Isabella Ferreira), a popular flirt, and AJ (Auli’i Cravalho), a tongue-tied enigma, lead the track team. They also happen to be sisters. Paige’s romantic struggle is at once unusual and oddly undramatic — much like the dynamic between her flamboyantly straight best friends, Stacey (Teala Dunn) and Dillon (Tyler Alvarez), who constantly hook up with each other while competing in an election for student body president.