The Spectacular Now (B or 3/4 stars)
What do you get when you blend a glossy John Hughes 1980's teen flick with a 21st century, darker-edged, low-budget, teen indie film ... you get 'The Spectacular Now' (directed by James Ponsoldt, & adapted from a book by the team who gave us (500) Days of Summer). The movie opens in contemporary rural Georgia & begins by introducing us to Sutter Keely (Miles Teller, so good in 2011's Rabbit Hole), a semi-popular 18 yr. old who, when a math teacher asks him about his plans for the future, he says that growing up is overrated; then turns the table on the teacher by asking him if HE'S happy. Sutter's unwillingness to face the imminent future & continue to exist in the 'spectacular' now becomes a bone of contention btwn. him & his on again-off again girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larson).
As silly & clever as he tends to be, there's also something noticeably broken about Sutter. His relationship with his mom (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is outwardly 'ok', but clearly strained beneath the surface. He's lost an emotional bond with his older sister, Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). And his absentee father (a disheveled Kyle Chandler) left many yrs. ago. Soon enough, Sutter meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley, of The Descendants) when she discovers him lying on a lawn one morning while doing her 5 a.m. paper route. Sutter doesn't recall how he got there (he's basically an 18 yr. old alcoholic; drinking from a perpetual whiskey flask). With nothing else to do, Sutter joins Aimee on the rest of her route. An intelligent, wallflower sort of girl, Aimee is quite pleased to have the company of a "popular" guy.
Though he initially poo-poos the notion that he actually likes Aimee (to his hip friends), Sutter's relationship with Aimee grows quite amorous; discovering a surprising compatibility in the process. Drama disrupts the general 'calm' of the plot when Sutter learns discovers his father's whereabouts. He invites Aimee to go with him on a lengthy road trip & that's when the tone of the film takes a turn. Since the film is told from Sutter's perspective, we gain a deeper understanding of his character as a result of his encounter with his dad & what occurs afterwards. But the movie also provides insight of Aimee. The final scene may be viewed by some as abrupt/unsatisfying, but if you think about where the characters are in that exact moment & the way the actors play that particular scene, you can surmise what will occur next (though, I hear that the open-endedness of this film does not match a more finite ending from the book).
It is the final 30 minutes that are the most effective; primarily because you don't quite know what's going to happen. Does Aimee get pregnant? Will one of them die? Will one of the other minor characters die? Does Sutter graduate? What about the parents? etc.. The transition from teen rom-com to dark-tinged coming of age story is handled fairly smoothly. That said, tough this film received stellar reviews from pro critics, and while I think it is a more-than-decent movie, for me, there were a few too many inauthentic scenes scattered throughout that took me out of the movie. What's slightly disappointing about that is that they are filmed with the intention of being authentic/realistic, yet they came off too "written". In other words, as executed, some of the scenes throughout felt like acted scenes from a movie script, and not real life; whereas many other scenes rang true. It's a nitpick, but the kind of nitpick that can knock an A film down to a respectable B.
Something of note in this film's favor is that the flawed, but likeable characters stay with you well after the credits have rolled. With a few character/plot issues aside, the 2 main characters are believably portrayed. Miles Teller channels John Cusack in his performance as a slightly irritating, if mostly likeable goofball. And when the script called for it, he sure knew how to ramp up the emotion. Shailene Woodley (so-so in The Decendants, expected to be the next Mary Jane Watson), is very good as the shy girl who blossoms due to her unexpected friendship with Sutter. This transformation (for Sutter, as well) is very nice to see.
Solid support is provided by Brie Larson, whose role as Sutter's ex is quite different from any other 'ex' that you see in films of this ilk. And both Jennifer Jason Leigh & Kyle Chandler as Sutter's mom/dad are incredibly realistic; their differing parental styles contribute to Sutter's strengths & weaknesses as a young man on the precipice. And so, 'The Spectacular Now' - faults & all - is a nice, intelligent little late summer indie. It doesn't resort to gross-out jokes or imbecilic humor to liven things up. The sex scene is tastefully done. And it's refreshing to experience something richer than the usual boy-meets-girl fluff piece.
As silly & clever as he tends to be, there's also something noticeably broken about Sutter. His relationship with his mom (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is outwardly 'ok', but clearly strained beneath the surface. He's lost an emotional bond with his older sister, Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). And his absentee father (a disheveled Kyle Chandler) left many yrs. ago. Soon enough, Sutter meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley, of The Descendants) when she discovers him lying on a lawn one morning while doing her 5 a.m. paper route. Sutter doesn't recall how he got there (he's basically an 18 yr. old alcoholic; drinking from a perpetual whiskey flask). With nothing else to do, Sutter joins Aimee on the rest of her route. An intelligent, wallflower sort of girl, Aimee is quite pleased to have the company of a "popular" guy.
Though he initially poo-poos the notion that he actually likes Aimee (to his hip friends), Sutter's relationship with Aimee grows quite amorous; discovering a surprising compatibility in the process. Drama disrupts the general 'calm' of the plot when Sutter learns discovers his father's whereabouts. He invites Aimee to go with him on a lengthy road trip & that's when the tone of the film takes a turn. Since the film is told from Sutter's perspective, we gain a deeper understanding of his character as a result of his encounter with his dad & what occurs afterwards. But the movie also provides insight of Aimee. The final scene may be viewed by some as abrupt/unsatisfying, but if you think about where the characters are in that exact moment & the way the actors play that particular scene, you can surmise what will occur next (though, I hear that the open-endedness of this film does not match a more finite ending from the book).
It is the final 30 minutes that are the most effective; primarily because you don't quite know what's going to happen. Does Aimee get pregnant? Will one of them die? Will one of the other minor characters die? Does Sutter graduate? What about the parents? etc.. The transition from teen rom-com to dark-tinged coming of age story is handled fairly smoothly. That said, tough this film received stellar reviews from pro critics, and while I think it is a more-than-decent movie, for me, there were a few too many inauthentic scenes scattered throughout that took me out of the movie. What's slightly disappointing about that is that they are filmed with the intention of being authentic/realistic, yet they came off too "written". In other words, as executed, some of the scenes throughout felt like acted scenes from a movie script, and not real life; whereas many other scenes rang true. It's a nitpick, but the kind of nitpick that can knock an A film down to a respectable B.
Something of note in this film's favor is that the flawed, but likeable characters stay with you well after the credits have rolled. With a few character/plot issues aside, the 2 main characters are believably portrayed. Miles Teller channels John Cusack in his performance as a slightly irritating, if mostly likeable goofball. And when the script called for it, he sure knew how to ramp up the emotion. Shailene Woodley (so-so in The Decendants, expected to be the next Mary Jane Watson), is very good as the shy girl who blossoms due to her unexpected friendship with Sutter. This transformation (for Sutter, as well) is very nice to see.
Solid support is provided by Brie Larson, whose role as Sutter's ex is quite different from any other 'ex' that you see in films of this ilk. And both Jennifer Jason Leigh & Kyle Chandler as Sutter's mom/dad are incredibly realistic; their differing parental styles contribute to Sutter's strengths & weaknesses as a young man on the precipice. And so, 'The Spectacular Now' - faults & all - is a nice, intelligent little late summer indie. It doesn't resort to gross-out jokes or imbecilic humor to liven things up. The sex scene is tastefully done. And it's refreshing to experience something richer than the usual boy-meets-girl fluff piece.