When Juno was first released it felt incredibly fresh and unlike anything in cinemas. It took the subject of teen pregnancy and not only made it hilarious, a hard feat in and of itself, but maintained a brutally honest outlook, while preserving its heart. Sadly, however, its effects dulled when revisited. The dialogue that upon first perusal was fresh and full of sardonic wit, morphed into something highly choreographed and arranged in later viewings.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a great film. The reason I point out this flaw, however, is to emphasize the brilliance of the writing in Young Adult,the latest from screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman. It’s a much more mature place, not only for the adults in its story, but also for Cody as a writer as well. Young Adult lacks the heart or charm of Juno, but is stuffed to the brim with something else. It isn’t just that it’s funny. It’s that it goes to places that are dark and twisted and remains laugh out loud hilarious all the while.
The film stars Charlize Theron, an actress with a chameleon-like aptitude for playing characters, as Mavis Gary. Here Theron once again manages a transformation. While she remains impossibly beautiful, she is irrevocably flawed and just downright ugly on the inside. A writer for a series of young adult novels, Mavis herself seems stunted in young adulthood. When she receives the news that her ex-boyfriend has had a child, she decides her best of plan of action is to go back to her hometown and attempt to derail his marriage.
Great performances don’t end with Theron’s. Patton Oswalt is incredibly powerful as Matt Freehauf, a nerd with lingering injuries from a high school attack. It’s their interactions that are perhaps best, full of imbibed honesty. Even here there are no glimmers of hope or humanity in Mavis, other than perhaps the ugliest and most cringe worthy aspects we see in humans. The film goes there and it stays there, and is unapologetic about not making Mavis the kind of women we like or root for. There are no redemptive endings for her here, and that’s perhaps what I admire the most of Young Adult.
Sarah McBride’s thoughts on music, film, lit and life can be found at sarahism.com. You can follow her on twitter @sarahism.