Not to sound redundant, but teenager-dominated movies are starting to take over the world. And the latest, “Cruel Intentions,” is the most, shall we say, alternative of them all.

Sex and drugs, along with the usual lies and deceit, make it that much more intriguing, bringing to the screen a lifestyle you know exists but never get to see.

Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) exhibits a “good girl” persona to the world but actually keeps a stash of cocaine in the crucifix she wears around her neck. Oh, and she has a major hunger for sex.

Her stepbrother Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) is a cocky kid with a bad reputation and a kick-ass car.

The siblings share much in common — they’re both filthy rich and extremely manipulative.

When Kathryn is dumped by her boyfriend for the sweet Cecile (Selma Blair), she tries to get her revenge by having Sebastian ruin Cecile’s reputation.

Somehow the plot changes and Sebastian all of a sudden wants to go after the proud-to-be virgin Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon).

Kathryn and Sebastian decide to make a bet: If Sebastian can deter the ways of Annette and get her to sleep with him, he gets one night of paradise with Kathryn. If he doesn’t succeed, Kathryn gets his car, a 1956 Jaguar Roadster.

During the course of the bet, you are faced with the classic story seen so many times, most recently in “She’s All That.” When Sebastian is about ready to win his bet and get Annette into bed, he decides he really likes her.

Still, in an attempt to destroy Cecile, Kathryn takes the relationship between Cecile and her music teacher to another level — a more sexual level.

After causing the two to fall in love, Kathryn tells Cecile’s mother about the relationship. The music teacher, an older black man, is scolded and fired, and Cecile is driven into anger and depression.

Through all this, the movie spits out some unforgettable scenes that are obviously included for shock value and nothing more.

When Kathryn and Cecile are sitting on a blanket in the park, Kathryn decides that Cecile needs to learn how to kiss before she can really become a woman. So the two women kiss (it’s just a peck).

Then comes the line, “Now I’m going to stick my tongue in your mouth.” And of course, right up close, Kathryn and Cecile share a classic french kiss.

There is nothing wrong with this scene. It provides entertainment and all that — it just doesn’t fit in with the movie at all.

Another scene the movie could have done without is the scene where Kathryn is sitting on Sebastian’s lap. During the scene she continues to rub up against him more and more until she finally says, “Down boy.”

Through all the wild scenes and the manipulating, the actual plot gets lost, and some of the sub-plots lack endings. The main plot is not without an unpredictable ending, but is a lack of effort on the part of the filmmakers.

Gellar’s portrayal of the evil manipulator falls short of believable. Lines like, “That’s quite the predicament you’re in,” and “I always get what I want,” make her sound fake and stereotypical.

Phillippe starts out the same as Gellar as far as not pulling off that particular character. But as the movie continues, Phillippe gets really good.

He is especially amazing during one scene when he is trying to break up with a certain girl. During this particular scene he really manages to tug at the ol’ heart strings.

Blair and Witherspoon both give good performances, adding charm and spunk to the blandness the rich people provide.

Like all the other teenager movies causing the flood, “Cruel Intentions” has its share of problems, but one thing it does have that some of the others don’t is great entertainment.

The sex and drugs that are openly involved in “Cruel Intentions” give a good wave of reality to the genre in which it is placed.

And the movie helps you contemplate one of life’s biggest questions: car or sex?

3 stars out of five

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Kyle Moss is a freshman in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.