Young Adult (Paramount)
Rated R for language and some sexual content.
Starring Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, Collette Wolfe, Jill Eikenberry, Richard Bekins, Mary Beth Hurt, Kate Nowlin, Jenny Dare Paulin, Louisa Krause, Elizabeth Ward Land, Brian McElhaney, Hettienne Park.
Written by Diablo Cody.
Directed by Jason Reitman.
GRADE: B
REVIEW:
Growing up is hard to do, and even harder for others. Such is the case of Charlize Theron's character in Young Adult, the story of a writer in her 30s who plots to steal back her high school sweetheart.
Theron stars as Mavis, a divorced ghost writer for a series of young adult books. When Mavis gets a birth announcement from her old boyfriend Buddy, she vows to return to her small Minnesota home town to win him back, despite the fact that he's happily married and his wife (Elizabeth Reaser) has just given birth to the couple's first child.
When Mavis arrives in town, she makes a stop at a local bar where she meets Matt (Patton Oswalt), another former classmate who was permanently disabled by some of the jocks back in high school. Despite their obvious physical differences, Mavis and Matt form a bond of mutual drunkenness, as Mavis plots to win Buddy back.
Mavis' efforts result in a train wreck that leaves her with no redemption.
Young Adult begins with several funny moments as Mavis stumbles and embarrasses herself (often), but by the end of the film, I was not laughing with Mavis nor at her. I simply couldn't stand her.
The Diablo Cody script and direction from Jason Reitman should have made Young Adult a worthwhile comedy/drama (like Reitman's excellent Up in the Air), but it turned out to be more of a mean-spirited exercise in futility.
Theron's performance isn't bad; her character is, and it would seem that Cody has a few issues with some of the popular people from her high school days because she wrote Mavis as someone who deserves neither pity or attention.
Growing up may be hard to do, but it's even harder to watch Young Adult.
