vchimpanzee This was described as a comedy. I didn't see many laughs. Overall, this movie was actually quite depressing, but because Charlize Theron is such a good actress, it wasn't all that bad. And Patton Oswalt added a lot as a likeable loser. I know him best as the "Goldbergs" narrator but I may soon see much more of him as a loser of a principal in "A.P. Bio". I liked him there too. Yes, he plays losers very well.One example of how good Charlize Theron is in this movie is the fact that, to me, she seemed sane but troubled. Could she have been mentally ill? Possibly. Really going off the deep end might have been another way to go, and she's good enough as an actress that would have worked. That's just not how this movie was done, and it may have been more enjoyable for me personally as a result. What appealed to me most was how good-looking she is. It is true that in the early, depressing scenes in the Minneapolis high-rise, with the Kardashians (I know this from the credits) on the TV, I didn't know who she was since I hadn't seen the credits, and I didn't think she was pretty either. Later, when she made an effort to look good and put on a sexy dress, Mavis looked amazing.It added something to hear Mavis narrate her book. And we could see her writing process as she listened to actual girls talk and started typing. For a mentally unbalanced girl going after her ex, though, you can't do better than the CW series "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", and that show is actually funny.Let me add more about Matt. He was sort of the voice of reason here. He had many logical things to say, and despite Mavis' reaction to him, he was actually doing pretty well with his life. Not a success by most definitions, but he wasn't really using his disabilities to keep from facing life either.On the other hand, I found his sister's behavior surprising at the end.The actors playing the Slades also did a good job and their characters reacted well to the presence of this possible troublemaker. They could have acted in the expected way but didn't. Buddy was generally pleasant to Mavis.I suppose it goes without saying this isn't family-friendly. The language was obviously cleaned up in several scenes and I was grateful.I find it curious that Hampton Inn was willing to be identified by name and yet be represented by a clerk with the attitude "What-EVER. I'm just here until I get through with college and then I'm OUTTA here." Not a good image for a real hotel chain, but a good if brief performance.The music must have been what Charlize Theron liked, or possibly her fans. It did not appeal to me, and that's probably to be expected. That's not to say all the music was bad. There was a girl singing "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters. And my favorite music was played on acoustic guitar. It was simply background music used several times with the action going from one location to another with no dialogue. Each time, Mavis was having her nails done at one point, although the third time, a stand-up bass was playing in the nail salon and a piano was added after that.There are plenty of people, I'm sure, who would enjoy this type of movie. It just wasn't as good for someone with my taste as other movies.

sol- Depressed upon discovering that her former high school beau is happily married with an infant daughter, a young adult fiction writer sets out to win her old boyfriend back in this dark comedy from Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody. For a film marketed as a comedy, the laughs are few and far between, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as 'Young Aduilt' challenges one to think about whether what the authoress is going through is humorous, sad, pathetic, absurd or all of the above. Given how despicable her character is (wanting to tear apart a happy marriage; constantly dismissing an injured former classmate), Charlize Theron miraculously comes off as sympathetic the whole way through. It takes some suspension of disbelief to accept that she really does think that her plan will work, but Theron is always convincing in her quiet scenes and her growing sense of longing and regret is easy to relate to. What also works quite well is how Theron realises for the first time on her quest that the popularity of her book series is truly declining. Her world seems to be coming apart at the seams, and there is also a lot to like in how she uses her quest as fuel for penning her final novel at the same time. The book series is what she has used in order to delude herself into believing that she is still young, and with it on the decline, she finally has to grow up. 'Young Adult' is really a very apt title for the film in this regard. Patton Oswalt delivers has a solid supporting turn here too, but this is Theron's film the whole way as she renders her sour character with a nefarious plan utterly human.

Margaret Dumas Since the film Juno, director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody team up again to create this seemingly light-hearted comedy. Charlize Theron stars as a struggling, middle-aged author of a failing book series. After a failed marriage, whiskey, and one- night-stands Mavis Gary feels displaced and unloved. She heads back to her humble hometown of Mercury, Minnesota to pursue her high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade, a happily-married father of a newborn baby.After checking into a hotel in her hometown, Mavis heads to a local dive bar, where former classmate Matt spots her pounding shots of Maker's Mark whiskey. Matt starts a conversation with her, questioning her about why she left her lavish life to come back to their dumpy town. After a few shots of whiskey, Mavis reveals that she is there to win back Buddy. After this Matt thinks she is crazy, but eventually realizes that they both share a painful and spiteful attitude toward life, due to the repercussions of high school. They start spending a lot of time together drinking whiskey and complaining about their lifelong mishaps and the melancholia that comes with growing old. Her relationship with Matt begins to unfold after a confrontation in the woods next to their high school. Matt, who was deemed handicap after a horrible beating from the jocks in school, begins to feel angry toward Mavis for not understanding how hard things were for him in high school; how hard life still is now and how he spends his free time making booze and painting action figures. Without knowing it their bond grows due to the resentment they both hold for the things of the past.About midway through the viewer realizes that Mavis is, unbeknownst to her,writing about her adolescent years and her failed relationship with Buddy Slade. In one scene she leans into Buddy and confesses that one of her characters is based on him, or the image of, in his high school years. After her binge-drinking and driving in her Cabriolet from her high school days, we start to see the pitfalls of Mavis' life, and her struggle to let go of the past.Ultimately Mavis Gary's delusions about her old flame lead her to try to break him up with his wife by being overtly sexual toward his unassuming self. After a drunken kiss seen by Buddy's baby sitter, the locals of the town, including Mercury High School alumni, start to notice Mavis' ambiguous behavior. The rumor about Mavis' toxic behavior is solidified in a scene at Buddy's baby naming party. After her drink was spilled onto her silk dress, Mavis explodes at Buddy's wife and eventually reveals to everyone at the party about a miscarriage she had in high school with Buddy's child. She confesses that her jealousy about the baby is what drove her to Minnesota to win back her ex boyfriend, baby and all. We discover that Mavis, once a perfect and popular high school student has grown up to become an alcohol- abusing middle-aged woman angry about her unfortunate fate.This once light-hearted comedy becomes a dark depiction of the resentment in life that comes with growing old and letting go. As a viewer I was able to relate to the sadness of the characters; the realization that the slow slump, which comes with age, is a common human denominator and an integral part of growing up.The preview for this film made it out to be another light- hearted, dumb comedy about love which didn't really appeal to me. If it weren't for my appreciation of the director and writer I wouldn't have watched this film. It was a pleasant surprise that pulled on my heart- strings and thoroughly entertained me.

juneebuggy Charlize Theron was very good in this. The movie itself is quirky, weird and darkly funny. One of those feel-bad movies. with a nothing sort of story that follows a (YA) author who returns to her hometown to try and relive her glory days and seduce her happily married ex. Along the way she (drinks heavily) and forms an unusual friendship with a former classmate who hasn't quite gotten over high school either.This has been simply filmed, showing raw honesty on the part of 'Mavis', and Theron is excellent, fascinating and almost excruciating at times to watch as she goes about sabotaging her life. This is a woman in pain. Patton Oswalt also puts in a touching performance. I was left a bit worried about that dog though. 11/18/15