REVIEW: YOUNG ADULT: R


I know I'm late reviewing this but I have a pretty big awards weekend coming up.  Over this the three day weekend I'm going to be watching "The Iron Lady" and the Critic's Choice Award for Best Picture-winning film   "The Artist."  I'm slowly accepting even though I'd like "The Descendants" to take home the big prize on Oscar night "Artist" will be the victor.  Another awards-season movie you must make time to see this January is Jason Reitman's "Young Adult."

Unlike Reitman's previous two films ("Juno" and "Up in the Air") this movie's gotten literally no Best Picture buzz at all.  This is very understandable.  The film is an awkward, uncomfortable and nearly scathing look at a life gone bad after high school.  I've yet to know what that feels like, and I pray it's nothing like the "Young Adult" world.  Charlize Theron, in a sure-to-be Oscar-nominated performance is devastating as young adult fiction writer Mavis Gray.  Theron plays such a vile, sarcastic and frankly delusional witch of a woman if you saw her outside of the movie theater you might just be tempted to smack her.

Oswalt stole most of Theron's scenes as a  troubled nerd.
Mavis' "Gossip Girls"-esque series has come to a close, and she desperately wants some attention when she goes back to her crummy hometown of Mercury, Minnesota, where they see Minneapolis has the NYC of the state. There she meets her old "friend" (more of an acquaintance she would insult) from high school Matt Freehauf, crippled by jocks who assumed he was gay, but he really isn't.  I don't know, it's just nowadays people don't seem to care about character development, but Diablo Cody's detailed script just makes the scenarios in "Young Adult" a whole lot realer.  Patton Oswalt gives the film another Oscar-nomination-ready performance as the lifeless but persevering Matt.  The character crushed me; he felt so real it hurt.

Up until the climax of the film which can be seen briefly in the red-band trailer on YouTube, you don't understand why Mavis is so bitter with life.  Once you do find out you somewhat sympathize with her, if only a little bit.  It's a dark comedy that's more witty and observational then hilarious, and it is far from feel-good.  It's a short gem of a character study that's thoroughly enjoyable.  Here's hoping Theron walks away with the best comedy actress award at the Golden Globes tomorrow!

RATING: 3/4 stars. (I've switched to star ratings!)

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