Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody team up for the dark comedy, ‘Young Adult.’ Their first venture together was the offbeat teen drama, ‘Juno.’ Do you ever wonder what happened to the Prom Queen of your high school? You know the one. She won all the popularity awards in your yearbook. Charlize Theron stars as that mean girl. It is a perfect performance by the South African-born model turned actress. Theron proves once again why she is one of the most talented actresses in film today. She is not afraid to tackle the difficult roles in her career.
What makes this film so real, so engaging, is the fact that the main character, the antihero, is not likable. Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody has the ability to pen vivid characters with their faults and all. That’s what makes it so refreshing. She uses subtle action and catch phrases to reveal to us the soul of her main characters. The sign of a great writer is one that makes us empathize with a protagonist who is not a nice person.
Theron plays Mavis Gary, a 30-something ghost writer for a young adult book series. She lives in a sterile high-rise condo in Minneapolis, has a cute dog named Dolce which she neglects, has Kardashian-type reality shows constantly blaring on her oversized flat-screen TV, and she parties like a rockstar; slinging down shots of whiskey like it is water. One day, sitting at her computer, she gets a mass email from one of her old high school flames. The email includes a picture of her ex’s newborn baby and an invite to a baby shower. Mavis concocts a plan to return to the small town of Mercury in hopes of stealing her high school beau Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) away from his wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser).
Mavis throws some clothes into a suitcase, stuffs her dog into a pet carrier case, and jumps into her red MINI Cooper. As she drives back to her hometown, she listens to an old mixtape from Buddy. It was a nice touch in the scene to use an actual cassette tape. She focuses on one song, ‘The Concept’ by Teenage Fanclub. She sings along. This whole scene is brilliant because it shows Mavis enjoying fond memories but also shows us her inability to let go of the past.
After checking into a hotel, Mavis sets out on her plan to hook up with Buddy for some drinks. When Buddy is unavailable to leave the house because he’s busy caring for his baby, Mavis takes refuge at a local dive bar. As she does a shot of whiskey, there is a guy observing her at the end of the bar. That guy happens to be Matt (Patton Oswalt). Matt looks at her and says, “Mavis Gary? I think we went to high school together.” Mavis replies, “At the same time?” Mavis is oblivious to the fact that she and Matt had their lockers next to each other for four years. Finally, she remembers, Matt is the ‘Hate Crime Guy.’ Matt was almost beaten to death by a group of jocks for being gay. The only problem is that Matt isn’t gay.
Theron and Oswalt play a terrific odd couple. Matt is a crucial character in the movie. He plays a devil’s advocate to Mavis’ condescending behavior. As Mavis uses Matt as a shoulder to cry on, we find out that her emotional scars are nothing compared to the physical scars he had to endure in high school. The repartee is so witty between Theron and Oswalt thanks to Cody’s keen dialogue.
The journey Charlize Theron takes us on in ‘Young Adult’ is at times painful but worth every moment. ‘Young Adult’ is now playing at The Flicks theatre, downtown Boise, and Edwards Boise Stadium 22.
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