We’re all about watching movies, so we decided to take a late night field trip to Edwards Cinemas to watch ‘Young Adult,’ a film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. And here are our individual reviews:
Scott: Charlize Theron played an unpredictable character. I expected things to turn out differently, but I’m glad they didn’t. Patton Oswalt proves that comedians make great dramatic actors. Messed up movie in the best way possible. I give it an 8.6 out of 10.
Joann: As a fan of Juno and the hamburger phone, I had high expectations for Young Adult, (Cody and Reitman teamed up in Juno). Mavis Gary, played by Charlize Theron was an intriguing and believable character. Throughout the film, she attempts to win back her first love, with no regard to anyone else’s feelings. Theron’s character made me cringe at times, to the point where I thought to myself, is this really happening? The awkward and uncomfortable moments in the movie made for great conversation with my fellow Windsongians. In the end, I appreciated the storyline and the raw, realistic character that was Mavis.
Kyle: Young Adult constantly displayed a style of uncomfortable circumstances that grew into the climax of the film. The denouement of the film was the perfect way to complete this movie. Chalize Theron and Patton Oswalt’s performances were outstanding.
Sara: I liked the movie. I think we all know someone like Mavis– that self-absorbed girl from high school we hope to never see again. Charlize Theron’s performance as a self-destructive, dysfunctional, alcoholic was so good she had me crawling in my seat. Patton was awesome, too.
Byron: The main character in this movie is very mean and she is not very nice to people. I think it is because she is hurt and not really the person she thinks everyone thinks she is. I fell asleep for part of it because it was late and I was really tired.
Anthony: Stuff I Loved: Charlize Theron’s awfully awesome performance as a truly broken, infinitely interesting, maniacally insecure and completely unredeemable woman; Patton Oswalt’s transformative performance as a man willing to reach out and be there, in a vaguely selfish way, for a woman who has no selfless feelings for him or anyone else; the long, silent takes of Theron’s character’s life in the beginning of the movie; the drive back to her hometown with that damn song; that damn song coming back to haunt her; the soundtrack; how her love for her dog almost redeems her at times…but then doesn’t.
Stuff I Did Not Love: Awkward exposition in first scene between Theron and Oswalt. It’s all stuff that could have been inferred from sparser dialogue and then lent even more power to a scene that happens later in the woods. One or two incidental scenes with her that were almost too maudlin, considering how uncomfortably REAL the rest of the movie was.
Here’s a sneak peek at maybe… our next movie field trip?
Should have seen War Horse!