Young Adult stars Charlize Theron as Mavis, a writer of a young adult novel series (think Sweet Valley High) coming to an end. Her life is a mess, and she thinks that the way to fix it is to get her ex-high school boyfriend, Buddy (no, he is not a golden retriever) back after she receives a baby announcement email from his wife. If this idea sounds bad, wait until you see the execution.
Diablo Cody wrote and Jason Reitman directed Young Adult. They collaborated before on Juno and subsequently on Tully, which also starred Theron with less rave reviews though I liked it, and it is what drew me to this movie. Cody has the advantage as the writer of Jennifer’s Body in terms of daring excellence whereas Reitman’s Up in the Air acts on my memory like a sieve (the book and the film so not entirely his fault) and Labor Day is Stockholm Syndrome: A Love Story. As a pair, they manage to make relatable films that manage to be above everything and completely down to earth. They get the product placement of traditional American chain restaurants while simultaneously turning their nose up at the mere idea of their existence. It is a difficult dance to be marketable and independent without slipping into the mainstream. There is a reflective sensibility and texture of intelligence woven into the American quotidian in their films.
If you are looking for a riveting, fearless character study that makes its protagonist gradually more unlikeable and cringeworthy as it unfolds, definitely watch Young Adult. It is better than Tully in the way that every character, even random women who work at Macy’s, feel like fully realized three-dimensional people with lives outside the protagonist. Everyone has their own reasons for interacting with Mavis or not, but it clearly is not because she is a great person. Before the movie ends, you will want to call doggy DCF, but do not worry. The dog is fine. This movie is very comfortable with messiness, and if you fancy yourself an armchair psychologist, you will really enjoy this one.
Young Adult is just the kind of train wreck that you want to see. The decision-making skills are always questionable, and the choices are bad so I found myself internally screaming directions at the character as if it was a horror movie. If you suffer from second-hand embarsssment, get ready to experience some. It kind of reminded me of a sidequel sequel to Kelly & Cal though it came before (so I suppose Kelly & Cal would be a sidequel prequel), but Beth, Buddy’s wife, is better than Kelly. If Mavis was a guy, it would be a straight up comedy because society expects guys to be less mature than women, but because Mavis has no emotional intelligence, is not even moderately sensitive, spends little time on introspection and is quite shallow, it is more drama than comedy. She lives a disposable, plastic, brand name, nutritious free life albeit in the city with a gorgeous cover that helps people ignore her damning qualities. She cleans up well, but behind the scenes, she could be a guy out of a Judd Apatow film drinking straight from a two liter bottle of soda, feeding her dog out of the container, eating junk food, drinking all the time, putting her clothes in plastic drawers, preferring sweats, but who doesn’t? (In the interest of full disclosure, I drink Coke Zero after my first glass of water in the morning, but out of a considerably smaller bottle.)
Young Adult still manages to endear her to us. She is honest, goes for what she wants and while she finds feelings difficult, when she finds one, she rides it and does not settle for a middle ground, which makes her idealization of her ex puzzling since he seems like the epitome of everything that she hates. Buddy represents the past that she wanted and imagined. He is a puzzling object of fantasy, and she is clueless that people move on and change when she is not looking at them. That life exists outside of Mavis is the real shock and hard to penetrate her delusion except by unintentionally using the tools that are the foundation to her fantasy.
In contrast, I found her instant friendship with a guy that she never talked to in high school, Matt. Whom Patton Oswalt plays, much more understandable since they share common interests (shit talking and drinking). I loved the idea of their transparency with each other even to the point of cruelty. There was a point when I thought, “Whose high school fantasy are we in now?” Did CBS secretly sponsor this movie? I slightly resented the shift and would have preferred that it stayed the course as a meeting of the minds, but Theron and Oswalt’s scenes together are so impeccable that I can see it.
Reitman does some great visceral work in Young Adult early in the film by doing a lot of close ups of inanimate objects to show what is foremost in the thoughts of the person speaking: Mavis’ mix tape, Buddy’s baby bottles and Matt’s action figures. He uses the cast brilliantly in wider shots to compare and contrast how Mavis sees the world with how the world sees her.
If you pay close attention, Young Adult ends very similarly to how it begins with a pep talk. It is the kind of movie that I want to check on everyone later and see how they are doing. Has Mavis learned anything or out of self-preservation, has she successfully shored herself up against some unwelcome truths? The final scene seems to indicate that she realizes that she needs to do better for herself, but she has no idea how to do it without the superficial markers of accomplishments. She seems to begin to reverse her regression after hitting rock bottom, but are there other triggers? It may be a good thing that the book series is ending because now she enter a head space other than an adolescent. When her parents instinctually dismiss her confession then look at each other concerned when she cluelessly displays unhealthy behavior, even though her final speech was wrong, she was right. What is wrong with these people?
It should be no surprise that because Cody wrote Young Adult, it has tons of great lines. I like kids because you can see them becoming themselves, but Mavis is right, “Babies are boring.” Whenever Matt and Mavis talk, the conversation was completely snappy and light as a couple of expert volleyball players whereas everyone else with Mavis was lugging a medicine ball.
Young Adult is a great movie. It is always nice to be reminded that behind superficial perfection, people have problems and make me look a sage. Who am I kidding? I wish that I was Mavis so I was not always so painfully aware of all the gaffes that I make, but maybe with less drinking. Maybe it is the drinking that helps. Oh well, I guess that I will keep those brain cells after all.