Stateside cuddles up to you and makes you care about two lovers who would probably drive you crazy in real life. Rachael Leigh Cook endows the schizophrenic actress/pop singer she portrays with a soulful combination of despair and playfulness. Playing an immature student forced into the Marine Corps, Jonathan Tucker excels at conveying his character’s deep feeling for the famous mentally ill entertainer he can’t help loving.

Based on a true story, this romantic drama shows how true love sometimes conquers all kinds of trials and tribulations. Mark Deloach (Tucker) must deal with a no-nonsense drill instructor (Val Kilmer) and an ill father (Joe Mantegna) as well as with the consequences of causing an automobile accident that injured one of his friends (Alice Bruckner) and a priest (Ed Begley, Jr.). Dori Lawrence (Cook) needs treatment and hospitalization for her mental problems. When these two outcasts come together, their mutual attraction forges a bond between them -- one that can’t be broken even by long absences from each other or by warnings from friends, family and mental health workers.

“It’s very gripping in the sense that there are so many things keeping them apart,” says Cook (Josie and the Pussycats). “Between Dori’s illness and Mark serving in the military, I think it develops their bond.”

“They are separated emotionally and geographically but don’t let anything stand in their way,” adds Tucker (The Deep End).

Because events in Stateside take place during the 1980s, the film exudes a nostalgic look and sound. Filmmakers were meticulous in creating an authentic atmosphere that takes viewers back to the last years of the Cold War. Costumes, clothes, cars, music, etc. appear  just right for that period.   

While I never served in the Marines, I admire the way writer/director Reverge Anselmo (a former Marine) took pains to show Mark’s  rigorous boot camp training in a realistic light. Anselmo hired five drill instructors to give the young actor and more than sixty others a peek at what life was like on Parris Island in 1981. Kilmer (The Salton Sea) topped things off with his hard-as-nails interpretation of drill instructor Skeer. “A drill instructor defines what it means to be a Marine,” he declares. “It is a passionate dedication to combat survival.”

Don’t expect a candy-coated teen romance here. These are young people with serious grown-up problems. But do prepare yourself for a moving film about how falling in love with the right person can make you stronger.               

(Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films and rated “R” for  sexuality, language, drinking and drug content involving teens.)