Review: Young Adult

Most films that are character driven have a seminal moment for the protagonist in which the proverbial light goes on upstairs and everything changes.  Flaws get ironed out, burned bridges get rebuilt, and life gets that much better.  Jason Reitman films don’t fall into that category.  He, the director of Up in the Air fame, has no problem starting a film off in a dark place and constricting all movement to within that space.  In Young Adult,  that is precisely what he and writer Diablo Cody deliver to us.

The movie is about Mavis, the author of a soon to be completed young adult series who has locked herself in a perpetual state of distorted young adulthood – lacking any self-awareness and a detachment from the world around her.  This manifests in her desire to rekindle a romance with her high school paramour Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), who is happily married and a new father.  I could go on ad nauseum about the cliché plotlines that are dissected in this film such as that of a person trying to escape the small town blues; or an individual who can’t let go of their glorious high school past; et al because the plot is loaded with dysfunction and they are all cleverly embodied by Charlize Theron’s Mavis.

Theron carries the movie – absolutely owning the role and reveling in the complete lack of sense and sensibility that pervades each and everyone one of Mavis’ actions.  The dynamic she shares with Patton Oswalt’s Matt is one of the key driving forces to the plot.  He serves as a most unlikely sidekick for Mavis on her twisted journey down memory lane and acts as a moral compass to a person upon whom morality has no bearing whatsoever.  The movie itself ultimately hinges on the depths to which Mavis will plunge to feed her delusion versus the question of whether or not her character can be redeemed with Oswalt’s Matt immediately in tow.

This film is not for everyone.  It is dark and the comedy is wry.  It works that they take someone as beautiful as Charlize Theron and make her far less attractive as a person.  It is just not necessarily pleasant to watch.  If you’re looking for the feel good movie of the year, you should go watch Moneyball.  But if irony, angst, and cynicism are your cup of tea, then this film should suit you just fine.  With this caveat in mind, I would recommend Young Adult as a rental - although I would advise against viewing it on a happy occasion.  This one may leave you feeling a bit dirty after watching it.

Standout Performance:  Charlize Theron does a nice job of completely disappearing into the role.  Look for her next in Ridley Scott's much anticipated sci-fi project, Prometheus.