Monday, Dec. 17, 2001 | 8:33 a.m.
It's tempting to call Cerina Vincent's performance in "Not Another Teen Movie" her "bust-out" role.
But considering Vincent is topless throughout the entire film, that would be too easy. And probably in poor taste.
But Vincent, 22, keeps a sense of humor about the role that is sure to get her, um, noticed. "In a sense, I'm sort of making fun of myself," said Vincent, who was born and raised in Las Vegas and moved to Los Angeles three years ago. "It's absolutely ridiculously raunchy bathroom humor. I'm not simulating sex, (I'm just) totally naked the whole movie. Once I made the decision to do it, actually shooting it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
"Of course, I'm thinking about what my dad is going to think, or my brother or my Uncle Bill or my aunts I have a huge family. But I just had to let that go and trust that it's a career decision. I think it is, I think the movie's going to do well."
Most critics have been unkind to "Not Another Teen Movie," which opened Friday. Associated Press film critic Christy Lemire called it "crass, misogynistic, homophobic and racist, it lacks finesse,originality and humor ... the year's worst movie." However, Roger Ebert was mildly amused by the comedy, giving it two stars out of a possible four: "Did I laugh during the movie? Yes, I did, a few times, although not as much as I did at the better teen movies like 'American Pie' or 'Scary Movie.'"
During a recent screening at a local theater, an audience of adults and teenagers seemed to enjoy the movie's R-rated humor, filling the auditorium with laughter on several occasions.
The movie is a spoof of adolescent-themed films from the John Hughes-era "Brat Pack" flicks of the '80s ("Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club" among them) to more modern fare such as "She's All That" and "American Pie."
The idea is to turn the teen-film genre on itself, exposing tired cliches through not-so-subtle humor, in much the same vein as the "Scary Movie" spoof series.
As a result "Not Another Teen Movie" is stockpiled with the high school stereotypes audiences have come to expect from Hollywood, and the predictable situations that screenwriters construct for these characters: misfit girl longing to come out of her shell; nice-guy jock who learns a valuable life lesson; jealous ex-girlfriend and/or boyfriend and the person who comes between them; and, of course, the nerdy group of friends who are simply looking to score.
Vincent's role is a bit more obscure, as the sexually charged foreign exchange student Areola, herself a parody of the Nadia character (played by Shannon Elizabeth) from the "American Pie" movies.
"The idea is (Areola) is totally naked the entire movie, but nobody notices," Vincent said from her home in L.A.
Of course, that could also be because Areola isn't in the film that much -- roughly a total of about four minutes. Originally Vincent's role was bigger, but some of her scenes became casualties of editing.
"It's not just my character whose stuff didn't make it, but everyone's character," she said diplomatically. "It was disappointing, but that's the name of the game."
Besides, she said, "You can't have the naked foreign exchange girl in every scene. It would be overwhelming."
Oddly enough, it was the nudity that made Vincent hesitant to take the part in the first place, even after she "fell in love" with the script.
"I turned (the role) down and told my manager, 'no,' " Vincent said. "But I started thinking about it, I really wanted to be a part of the project."
Once she had the approval of her mother to take the part, however, Vincent committed to the movie.
For the budding actress, her first role in a major film was a long way from her days as a local model, when the former 1996 Miss Nevada Teen appeared in fashion shows, magazine ads and on a few television commercials. It was even further from her performances with community and high school theater productions while a student at Durango High School.
It took a move to L.A. to get her acting career jump-started.
After a year at Marymount College in Palos Verdes, Calif., Vincent got bit parts in an anti-smoking campaign commercial, Fox's "Malcom in the Middle," and WB's "Dead Last" and "Felicity," as well as a two-year run as Maya, the yellow Power Ranger on the children's action series "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" beginning in 1999.
She made her motion-picture debut that year as well, in the low-budget horror flick "Fear Runs Silent," before landing the "Not Another Teen Movie" role in the spring.
In the meantime Vincent is working on an "Ally McBeal" episode in which she plays Ally's hired baby sitter, who hits on every man Ally brings back to her apartment.
Vincent also recently wrapped up filming "Cabin Fever," a horror/dark comedy executive produced by David Lynch and directed by his protege, Eli Roth, which is tentatively scheduled for a Halloween release.
Vincent said "Cabin Fever" concerns five college friends who contract the flesh-eating virus.
She said she plays "the girl who's kind of in control at the time, but her whole world is falling apart -- her friends are dying, her boyfriend leaves her. It was a very dramatic role."
It was the perfect part to play after Areola, Vincent said.
Not content to be an onscreen vixen as long as her looks allow, she said she'll continue to search out more dramatic and challenging roles, as has her favorite actress, Robin Wright Penn.
Vincent also said she has no intention of emulating her "American Pie" counterpart Elizabeth by appearing in Playboy.
"I was really worried that I would be typecast as the 'booby girl,' " Vincent said. "But it really is all about the choices you make after you do a nude movie. If you do Playboy and only do things where you take your top off in teen movies, then that will happen. I'm not going to go that route."
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