Young Adult (2011)

In the latest collaboration between director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody (they gave us "Juno" and she won a Screenplay Oscar in the process), our protagonists may be older, but that doesn't make them any wiser. In fact, Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) still resides in the rarefied land where her high school days were the pinnacle of her success. She has an idealized memory of her popularity and perceived true love (Patrick Wilson), so when confronted with the disappointments in her big city existence--she attempts to reclaim some of her former glory. Specifically, she hatches a plot to return to her home town and rescue Wilson from what she believes is his domestic prison--namely a wife (Elizabeth Reaser) and new baby. "Young Adult" is marketed as a black comedy, and it certainly has some of the most awkward and uncomfortable humor that you're likely to encounter. But in essence, it seems like a dramatic character study whose narrative arc is depicted largely through bitterly funny encounters. This squirm inducing film has plenty of laugh out loud moments, but its truthfulness (and underlying sadness) resonate long after the film ends.

In many ways, that's what really makes "Young Adult" a stand-out. Cody, dispensing with the rapid fire pop culture referencing she's known for, creates someone very believable and human in Mavis Gary. Selfish, vindictive, delusional--she is not a particularly nice person. She wears a veneer of confidence like a suit of armor, but all the cracks are starting to show. It is an uncompromising role, and Theron inhabits it with a fearless aggression. It may be one of my favorite performances of the year. Like a fine balancing act, the film never makes Theron a cartoon villain (which would happen in most other movies). She is always wildly real and unpredictable and, quite frankly, slightly dangerous. But the screenplay also makes another conscious choice that, again, few other mainstream movies (especially comedies) ever attempt. This is not a story of redemption or learning life's lessons. There is no moralistic posturing or hugs all around. There is, in short, no sell-out to who this character is. And that turns a good film into a really memorable one!

Theron is, in a word, incredible. Both Wilson and Reaser do well as the couple targeted by Theron's machinations. But the film's most surprising role is fulfilled by Patton Oswalt, as a high school outsider who forms an unlikely alliance with the adult Theron. They play off each other effortlessly. Oswalt may be the one person who Theron can really be herself with, and the development of their relationship is one of the primary selling points of "Young Adult." Truthfully, I loved this movie. It showcases a complicated unpleasantness and brutal honesty that may not appeal to every viewer (especially those seeking frothy romantic comedy). But its grittier vibe is a real change of pace. Funny, and remarkably sad as well, "Young Adult" covers somewhat familiar territory but seems surprisingly fresh and different and smart. KGHarris, 12/11.

This was a tough watch. I expected anti-hero dark comedy, but it's far more dark than comedy. Sure, we're given plenty of the 'oblivious beauty queen in state of painfully arrested development.' It was fun watching her attempts to skew reality in the way that best suited her needs; that's the defining trait of the Mean Girls, after all. Then the pity happens. We see that she's seriously broken under there, and we're expected to feel bad for her. Poor, sad drunk pretty girl. And just when she seems to be at the brink of a genuine breakthrough, she hops back into her broken life and drives away.

While I admit that a magical Romey & Michelle redemption for Mavis would have infuriated me, it would've been nice to see that she learned even the slightest bit from her escapade. But the fact is, some people simply don't learn. They peak at 17, then face 60 long years of mediocrity. That's an ugly truth. Some people have their lives utterly ruined at 17 and never quite get over it, and that is also true. So don't expect a quippy, quirky, long overdue hair-pulling for the mean girl 'cause this ain't it. DO, however, look for brilliant and nuanced performances from both Theron and Oswalt. They both dig right to the center of these characters and own every bit of their frailty and ugliness and complexity.

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Thought I'd put in my two cents. Unlike his father, Reitman is rapidly becoming a genuine American auteur. No one working in Hollywood today gets the incipient loneliness and social malaise of post-modern America, "How we live today," as it were. His last two films, this one and Up in the Air, totally nail all the odd comic elements of a society going joylessly through the motions the sterility and formlessness of airport culture, the soulless vapidity of small town life, the weird highway ramp hotel non-culture, successful people trapped in their own self-made defensive cocoons, not to mention the perverse enjoyment of misery and depression fueled by endless booze and empty sex..Reitman is basically aiming his films at people who read things other that Twilight. He is drawn to writers like Walter Kirn and Diablo Cody because they seem to have something to say about the sad Way We Live Now that is not driven by research and age demos. The irony of Mavis, the ultimate "hip" urban creature, confessing that what she really wanted was to be a "square", and the defenses she erected to combat that failure, is the sort of irony that would make people walk out, I suppose. Give it up for Charlize, totally fearless, who gets something about the world we live in that should be explored. Like Carlin once said, "What, are you gonna eat at Wendy's and read USA Today till the end of time???" I also was the only one laughing at lots of the lines. So what? These folks are playing to those select move goers who are too hip for the room. Don't those moviegoers deserve a few annual gifts in a world of creeping meatballism? But don't expect too many of these types of films a year..Just be thankful when they come along...

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I always wondered what happens to mean girls as they grow up through the years. Looking at social networking sites now, I get the answer! They have either found "God" and bear children or they drink ALOT which you can tell due to their aging faces. Not cute anymore huh? Charlize's character Mavis in this movie went the way of booze and never growing out of her incredulous teenager. This is where it gets sad, enter Patton Oswalt and his emasculated and trauma carrying character. His character is what brings life to this movie he's the protagonist to the Mavis antagonist. This movie left me with a weird feeling that loomed long after I left the theatre. It brings back high school memories and all its extremes, the good and the bad. This is the first movie that shows it with brutal and awkward honesty. Thank you Ms. Cody!

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It amazed me to see so many 1-star reviews for this film, so I thought I'd offer my two cents worth. "Young Adult" is not a rom-com. It's a cruel dark look at the life of an emotionally fractured person (Charlize Theron) who thought she had it all figured out in high school, only to be confronted with real life after graduation. I don't want to spoil the film for anyone but I will mention how heartbreaking it is to watch a person struggle beyond her means to even comfort herself. There is no transformation, no salvation, things do not get better. It is not hopeful, and does not pretend to leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling. Letting you off the hook at the end would insult the viewers as much as it would insult the honesty of the form in which the characters were written.

If you want to be entertained, anything Jennifer Anniston has produced would be able to amuse you without altering your sensibilities. However, if you want to see what happened to the prom queen and are prepared to watch a film that has the potential for testing your emotional response, you've come to the right place.

Bottom line: This film is unconventional and defies strict genre classification; it is not just a `black comedy', it is a `black comedy spending the holidays alone'. Having stated that, no film-lover should miss the performance Theron delivers, as well as the supporting cast Patrick Wilson & Patton Oswalt.

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