Young Adult

Well, hmm.  I’m kind of at a loss for words again.  I don’t really know what I thought about this movie.  It’s a portrait of a somewhat disturbed woman (Charlize Theron) who is fixated on her old beau (Patrick Wilson), and despite the fact that he’s married and newly a father, tries to win him back.  Along the way she meets up with and bonds with a former high school classmate (Patton Oswalt), who is stunted in his own ways but far better off than she is.  Like the other Jason Reitman films I’ve seen (including Juno, also written by Diablo Cody) it’s easy to watch but fails to leave a lasting impression.

Which isn’t to say it’s a bad movie.  The dialogue is pretty sharp (those fearing the jumped-up lingo of Juno need not worry) and two central characters who feel believable and are interesting to watch.  Theron pulls it off nicely, not quite the impressive performance of Monster, but it’s a more subtle role and I don’t have any complaints about her.  Oswalt is not stretching much, but as a fan of his stand-up I just enjoy seeing him.  The soundtrack, like Theron’s character, is stuck in the 90’s, and includes some songs I really don’t care for… including one of my most hated, “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes.  Still, at least it’s thematically appropriate.

The film’s main failing is a lack of depth.  It has the illusion of depth, digging up little metaphors and making “bold” choices, but in the end it isn’t all that satisfying.  The thing with the book Theron is working on is really blunt, and I’d kind of roll my eyes every time it came up.  But as light entertainment, you could do a lot worse.  It’s not howlingly funny (nor do I think it’s meant to be) but there are a few amusing tidbits and the movie goes down easily enough.  Rating: Good

IMDb