Young Adult, directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, the same collaborators behind Juno, has been publicized like it’s a quirky, deadpan comedy. Actually, it’s deeper than that. It’s really a kitchen sink drama with a sly sense of humor and an almost cruel view of Generation X. As with Cody’s other work (Juno and the TV series The United States of Tara), it’s all about a simple – almost high-concept – premise, a middle-class milieu, and a mordant tone.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Juno, though I’m about the only person I know who wasn’t. The adult actors (J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner) were spot on, especially in delineating the difference between
a smart family trying to hold on to being in the middle class and an affluent, childless couple trying and failing to avoid an early midlife crisis. I didn’t like the characters of Juno or her boyfriend because she was too smart for her own good, though dopey enough to get knocked up in high school, and he just seemed twee – really, he got her pregnant when he seemed too listless to have survived puberty? I thought Ellen Page did a great job with the masses of exposition she had to deliver seamlessly in Inception and that Michael Cera was a convincing young adult romantic lead in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
a smart family trying to hold on to being in the middle class and an affluent, childless couple trying and failing to avoid an early midlife crisis. I didn’t like the characters of Juno or her boyfriend because she was too smart for her own good, though dopey enough to get knocked up in high school, and he just seemed twee – really, he got her pregnant when he seemed too listless to have survived puberty? I thought Ellen Page did a great job with the masses of exposition she had to deliver seamlessly in Inception and that Michael Cera was a convincing young adult romantic lead in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.
Critics gushed over Cody’s writing, but my ear heard a smart-ass twentysomething writer rather than a contemporary teenager. However, female teenagers I’ve worked with love the movie. It’s akin to the Baby Boomers’ relationship with The Graduate or my generation’s connection to Risky Business. My greatest concern was that it seemed like everything was about the writing and there was no focus on Reitman’s directing. He even deferred to the writing in interviews. Remember, this was about the guy whose debut was Thank You For Smoking, a satire that recalled some of Billy Wilder’s ‘60s work, especially The Fortune Cookie, in its tone and featured an original look at a father/son relationship. Like Juno, it was very well cast and that is just as important – if not more so – than the script. Reitman went on to co-write and direct Up in the Air, which is The Apartment for our era.
Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, and Elizabeth Reaser |
Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary |
Wilson is just a regular guy as Buddy without the obvious pretty boy with the inner rot image that he’s played in Angels in America, Hard Candy, and Insidious. Well, at least that how he seems at first. His role is as much of a surprise in a more subtle way than Theron’s. The difference is that he has moved on, although in looking back on the plot, his judgement in sending Mavis an email at the beginning of the movie is chillingly indifferent.
Patton Oswalt plays Matt, a maimed classmate of the other two and he comes through with a major performance of a decent guy, almost destroyed by others including Mavis’s casual indifference. The movie is clear-cut in showing how that coldness is the first step to almost homicidal bullying. Matt sees right through Mavis because he has no guilt and nothing else to lose. We can predict that Mavis and Matt will somehow connect, but not the extent. Elizabeth Reaser is sane and quietly delightful as Buddy’s wife. It makes complete sense that he’s with her and that she would not recognize Mavis as a threat. She’s right not to, but not for the reasons she might think. Collette Wolf as Matt’s sister Sandra has a wonderful scene with Mavis where she reveals herself to be her biggest admirer. She’s almost as desperate as Mavis, but she ends up starstruck – almost literally, though certainly emotionally. Jill Eikenberry matches up very well with Theron as her mother. She flattens her vocal tone to match Mavis’s and she works her mouth to look almost exactly like Theron’s in their scenes together.
Patton Oswald and Collette Wolf |
This is a tough little number, but it’s well worth seeing since it’s the latest in a young director’s career that hasn’t yet seen a misstep. Reitman is understated, witty, and able to set depth charges in his movies.
http://www.youngadultmovie.com
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