Young Adult (2011) – Review

Review: Young Adult is funny, but sort of depressing. The film centers around Mavis, a 37 year-old woman who returns to her small hometown hoping to rekindle a romance with her high school sweetheart Buddy after her own failed marriage, jolted to action when she receives a baby picture from Buddy and his wife. Director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody (the pair that made Juno) have created one of the most unlikable characters of the year, and yet positioned her to still work as the protagonist (and this is probably the great achievement of this film). They also took a huge risk with the character, in that she does not really evolve or learn anything (unless you read the somewhat ambiguous ending differently, as there is something more there I think). Mavis, despite the awful stuff she does and the bad attitude, is still relatable and ultimately the protagonist because of the deeper sadness she tries to hide and her budding friendship with Matt (a nerd who has a crush on her since high school). What is more shocking is the statement that Matt’s sister Sandra (also a loser in high school) delivers to Mavis – that Mercury (the small town) is full of losers and that everyone is really just envious of Mavis and her lifestyle in the big city. What is shocking about it is what it says about the psyche of many in Middle America. To an extent, we all look at someone else with envy but Mavis is anything but a role model or beacon of hope. And this revelation by Sandra is maybe the saddest aspect of the whole film. Mavis was the popular girl in high school and felt this way (and now leads a seemingly unfulfilling and unhappy life), so what chance does Sandra have at happiness? The scene is one of the best in the film (along with Mavis at Buddy’s baby party) because it works on two levels. Sandra is trying to cheer Mavis up, but there is also a sad sincerity to her words. The narrative overall, however, is a bit on the weak side. While it is eventually revealed, Mavis suddenly going after Buddy, after not talking to him in many years seems too out of the blue. The audience does not really understand why Mavis is suddenly so interested in winning Buddy back and this to an extent hurts the overall narrative because the viewer is not so much connecting with Mavis as they are rejecting her (as she is a fairly awful person, as we are lead to believe). However, Reitman does have enough character moments (and even sympathetic ones) along with the reveal to ultimately make Mavis a full and relatable character for the audience – it just takes almost the full film for this to happen (losing viewers along the way). While Young Adult is a funny character drama, it is a much more scathing commentary on humanity – and both these aspects are good, but neither is great.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Jason Reitman, now four features in, has straddled the line between auteur and very good indie dramedy director. I do not think he is quite an auteur yet, but he continues to show promise. Young Adult is maybe his weakest film to date, but he still shows off his ability to really drive at the heart of his characters and get at the core of what makes them the way they are – making for great characters and performances in his films. Rolfe Kent’s score is fitting, but (like a few other scores this year) it is greatly overshadowed by the fantastic found music – hits from the 90s (things like 3 Non Blondes – What’s Up and Cracker – Low). Eric Steelberg’s cinematography is good. It has an indie style to it, letting the characters exist in a realist space, while focusing the attention of the audience on the performances. Kevin Thompson’s production design also works to make the space that the characters occupy feels realistic. The film is a character piece at its heart, but only really explores two characters deeper than the surface, and thus there are only two full performances and lots of small supporting roles. Of the supporting roles, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser and especially Collette Wolfe (as Sandra) do the best work. Patton Oswalt is very good as Matt. He plays the role both tough and venerable, and matches Charlize Theron’s Mavis perfectly. Theron is also very good as Mavis. It is hard to play an almost completely unlikable lead character and still give her humanity and make her relatable.

Summary & score: Good performances, humor and interesting characters elevate Young Adult above its weak overall narrative. 7/10

The A-Team (2010) – Review

The A-Team is a summer movie – high on outlandish action, full of humor, low on meaningful plot – but hey good summer movies are a lot of fun, and this is a good summer movie. The film succeeds on its characters. For a movie like this to work, the audience has to relate to and ultimately like the protagonists. Here, they do. Each character, while short of depth, has a unique quality and an absolute likability to them, which benefits the film in two ways – first the audience generally likes them and backs them and routes for them and second each viewer will have a favorite, and the film gives each character their moments. The film is unapologetic in its structure. It knows exactly what it is and who it is meant for, and this is a strong attribute to the film. It does have great sequences of action, implausible but wholly enjoyable stunts and feats. There are some dramatic threads in the piece, but they neither predominate nor bog down the film. They are there merely for plot, which is fairly straightforward, but does it need to be anything more? The film also succeeds on its humor. There are a number of very funny moments and lines that offer a good break from and a complimentary aspect to the action. Another aspect to the film that works well is having the characters grounded in reality. While the action and stunts seem to be completely insane and impossible (though these guys are the best of the best and theoretically can do stuff that others cannot, but still some of the stuff is pretty crazy), the characters themselves are grounded and have stock in real life emotions and cares that are relatable. Again, this endears them to the audience and is fundamentally why the film works as well as it does – if the viewers do not care about the characters (much like any movie really) the film would just be silly meaningless action. However, while the film is good for what it wants to be, it does not offer a lot in terms of powerful meaningful drama. The characters are all shallow and their interrelationships are not explored in any kind of depth. Their emotional journeys are fairly cliché, but that works here for this film’s purpose as it allows for the audience to associate with them without much work. Director Joe Carnahan shows here that he can deliver a fun action film that both incorporates some reality and grittiness, while being completely bombastic and extreme (sort of a composite of Narc and Smoking Aces). Carnahan also does a good job with the narrative structure. The film is constantly moving forward – while the intro does seem long, it plays more as a prologue than as part of the film, overall the structure holds tight and keeps the audience engaged. Alan Silvestri’s score is good at times and disappears at others. Charles Wood’s production design is passable, but most of it is shrouded in darkness for many of the scenes, and it is more due to the locations and cinematography that the film looks good than his work. Mauro Fiore’s lighting and camera work is good (not as great as his work on Avatar, but comparable to The Kingdom). He is able to get the most out of the locations and keep the focus of the action and actors. The greatest attribute of the film was its performances and they were good across the board. Jessica Biel and Brian Bloom are good in supporting roles, while Patrick Wilson is great in his part. Quinton Jackson, having probably the most iconic of the roles to live up to, is good in the role and seems to fit it well. Bradley Cooper has a lot of charisma and Liam Neeson is spot on. However, it is Sharlto Copley who steals the show. He is hilarious and kooky (and with just two films under his belt, I cannot wait to see him in lots of stuff to come). Big action, loud effects, funny jokes, and great characters – these are what makes The A-Team work and an entertaining summer movie. 7/10