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

Directors to Watch: Part 2 – Movies Spotlight – December 2011

One of the great things about cinema is that there is constantly an inflow of great new talents. These three directors are on the verge of becoming well known filmmakers in the States.

Tomas Alfredson

Filmography to Date:

Alfredson, 46, began his career in Sweden working as an assistant at Svensk Filmindustri. From there he moved into Swedish television working on multiple series, miniseries and TV movies. His first feature film hit came in 2004 with Four Shades of Brown, winning a number of awards in Sweden. In 2008, Alfredson made Let the Right One In – a romance horror story about a vampire who looks like a young girl. She befriends a neighboring young boy who is bullied at school. The film became an international hit, exposing Alfredson in the States and the U.K. as a filmmaker for the first time (at least for most cinemagoers).

December Film:

In December, Alfredson’s first English-language film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is being released in the States (having seen distribution in the U.K. already) about a retired spy who must find a mole within British Intelligence. It boasts a fantastic cast starring Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch (among others). It is based on the novel by John le Carre. It played to critical acclaim in the U.K. and is on the 2012 Oscar shortlist for Best Picture and Best Actor (Gary Oldman), as well as some technical awards (most likely Maria Djurkovic for production design).

Upcoming:

Next up for Alfredson is the film Larklight, a sci-fi story about an alternative world in which humans have made their way into space during the Victorian era. It is being produced at Warner Brothers with Steve Knight currently scripting. It is based on the novel by Philip Reeve and due in 2013.

Career Highlights:

1)      Let the Right One in (2008)* – (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

*Editor’s Picks

Steve McQueen

Filmography to Date:

McQueen, 42, began his career in the early 1990s making shorts that he would project onto walls in an art gallery, typically minimalist and black & white. Being foremost an artist, he also has worked in sculpture and other mediums – travelling to Iraq in 2006 and returning presenting a tribute to British soldiers who died in the war with a stamp collection of their portraits called Queen and Country. In 2008, he made his feature film debut with Hunger about the 1981 Irish hunger strike. It stars Michael Fassbender. It won the Cannes Film Festival Camera d’Or (best first-time director) and served as McQueen’s breakthrough in the U.K. as well as Fassbender’s.

December Film:

In December, his second feature Shame is being released. He is again working with Michael Fassbender, as well as Carey Mulligan and James Badge Dale. It is about sex addiction in New York City and is quite explicit in its portrayal (and rated NC-17). The film has played very well during its festival circuit, receiving tons of praise. It is likely to be nominated for multiple Independent Spirit Awards, and is one the 2012 Oscar shortlist for Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress, and Director.

Upcoming:

For his third feature, due in 2013, McQueen is making Twelve Years a Slave about a man living in New York during the mid-1800s who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. He has a phenomenal cast lined up, working yet again with Fassbender and also with Brad Pitt and Chiwetel Ejiofor. McQueen is one of the most interesting new filmmakers working today (someone I would already feel comfortable calling an auteur two films in).

Career Highlights:

1)      Hunger (2008)* – (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

*Editor’s Picks

Jason Reitman

Filmography to Date:

Reitman, 34, began his career in college as a creative writing major at USC making multiple short films. He is the son of Ivan Reitman, the director of Stripes and Ghostbusters, giving him an ‘in’ into the industry. In 2005, he made his feature debut with Thank You for Smoking. The film stars Aaron Eckhart and is a satirical comedy about Big Tobacco’s chief spokesman Nick Naylor who spins the truth while still trying to be a role model for his young son. The film was a great first feature garnering two Golden Globe nominations. But it was Reitman’s second feature that made him a known player in Hollywood – Juno. The film is about a high school student who gets pregnant and decides to give the baby away to a couple of her choosing. It served as the breakthrough for Reitman, writer Diablo Cody and star Ellen Page, as it was nominated for four Oscars in 2008 (including Best Picture), winning one for best writing. Next, Reitman had another indie hit that saw commercial success, due to it featuring in the awards season of 2009, with Up in the Air about Ryan Bingham, a man who travels around and fires people for a living. It stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick (serving as her breakthrough). It was nominated for six Oscars in 2010 (including Best Picture) but did not win any.

December Film:

Reitman is easily the best known among the directors on this list, being well established in indie circles and among critics – his films receiving ten Oscar nominations (winning one). However, his new film in December, Young Adult, may be the first to win in a major category. He is reuniting with writer Diablo Cody to tell the story of a divorced small-town Minnesota girl, the most popular in high school, who returns home looking to rekindle a romance with her high school boyfriend, now married with kids. It stars Charlize Theron and looks to factor into the 2012 Oscars, especially in the Best Actress and Best Writing categories.

Upcoming:

Reitman has a few projects that he is looking at but nothing formally announced yet. The first is called Elliot Allagash about Seymour Herson, a boy who is bullied and then taken under the wing of another more rebellious student. The other is called Labor Day about a weekend holiday taken in the 1980s. A divorced mother with her son gives a ride to a large strange man, who also happens to be bleeding badly.

Career Highlights:

1)      Thank You for Smoking (2005) – (DVD, Streaming)

2)      Juno (2007)* – (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

3)      Up in the Air (2009)* – (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

*Editor’s Picks

At the Movies – December 2011 – Part 1: Independent Films

Art-House Dramas:

Shame (Steve McQueen) – Drama – Dec 2

Summary: The film is about Brandon, a successful New Yorker, who carefully cultivates his private life allowing him to indulge his sexual addition, but that is thrown into disarray when his sister arrives unannounced for an indefinite stay. Filmmakers: Writer-director Steven McQueen is one of the most exciting talents to emerge in the last few years with his debut, the brilliant Hunger. Shame is his second feature. He is working with a wonderful group featuring composer Harry Escott (The Road to Guantanamo), cinematographer Sean Bobbitt (who shot Hunger) and production designer Judy Becker (Garden State). Cast: It stars Michael Fassbender, co-stars Carey Mulligan and has supporting work from Hannah Ware and James Badge Dale. Expectations: As an admirer of Hunger, I am very much looking forward to this, plus the cast with Fassbender and Mulligan is very good. McQueen has such an unflinching aesthetic that this is going to be graphic and intense (also evident by its NC-17 rating). It might be a little too much on the fringe and arty to be a major awards winner (for things like the Oscars of Globes), but should secure a few Independent Spirit Award nods. Trailer: Here. Review.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay) – Drama – Dec 9 [LA/NYC]

Summary: The film is about a mother who thinks there is something off, evil even about her son. Filmmakers: Writer-director Lynne Ramsay became a name to know in the U.K. with her first feature Ratcatcher, however her third feature We Need to Talk About Kevin is what will make her a sought-after talent in America. She is working with a brilliant crew, including: executive producer Steven Soderbergh, composer Jonny Greenwood (a member of Radiohead who has done some fantastic scores, like his work on There Will Be Blood), great cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (Atonement), and production designer Judy Baker (The Fighter). Cast: The film stars Tilda Swinton and co-stars John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller. Expectations: The film is a frontrunner for nominations at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards but should also garner some Oscar nods as well – most likely for Best Actress Tilda Swinton. It has played very well for critics and looks like a great character drama that is also terrifying in its buildup. Ezra Miller is also looking to be a breakout actor and this is likely to be the film that does it. Trailer: Here.

In the Land of Blood and Honey (Angelina Jolie) – War Romance – Dec 23 [LA/NYC]

Summary: The film is about two lovers, on opposite sides of the Serbian-Bosnian war, which re-encounter each other, try to recapture their relationship from before the war but find that their motives have changed. Filmmakers: It seems like it was only a matter of time before Angelina Jolie directed a film, but this is her second (but first feature) as she directed the documentary A Place in Time. She is working with a good crew, including composer Gabriel Yared (The Talented Mr. Ripley), cinematographer Dean Semlet (Danced with Wolves) and production designer Jon Hutman (The Tourist). Cast: She has unknown leads (at least in the States) with Zana Marjanovic and Goran Kostic, and support from Rade Serbeszija (who has shown up in many Hollywood films, as the go-to Baltic actor). Expectations: The trailer looks good, but this month has so many fantastic films coming out that this will probably be forgotten in the mix. Even among these four indie films it is by far the least anticipated and buzzed about. However, fans of war films and romances in trying times should probably give this a rent. Trailer: Here.

Art-House Comedies:

Young Adult (Jason Reitman) – Dramedy – Dec 9 [limited]

Summary: The film is about Mavis Gary, the most popular girl from her high school class. Now divorced, she returns to her small town in Minnesota to rekindle a romance with her high school boyfriend who is married with kids. Filmmakers: The film sees the reunion of director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody, who made Juno together. Reitman is also working with frequent collaborator cinematographer Eric Steelberg (Juno and Up in the Air) and production designer Kevin Thompson (The Adjustment Bureau). Cast: Charlize Theron stars with support from Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, J.K. Simmons, and Patton Oswalt. Expectations: There is Oscar buzz around the performances of Theron and Oswalt as well as Cody’s script, but probably all three can hope for nominations at best. The film looks to be a funny character piece about Theron’s ‘mean girl’ who comes back to find she is maybe not as big a deal as she thought she was. Theron won an Oscar for Monster (likely due to her physical transformation), but would like to reestablish herself as a top leading lady (and she is a producer on the film). Trailer: Here. Review.