Went to see "Young Adult" last night and I kinda loved it. I was a little surprised. It's written by Diablo Cody, and while I thought "Juno" had some laughs, it was mostly too precious and self-aware to be a good movie. But YA is all grown up and much funnier and more bitter (which is why I like it).
One problem with the suspension of disbelief: You have to accept, as a plot point, that a functioning heterosexual male would NOT leave his wife and infant child for alcoholic Charlize Theron. Not buying it.
Here's another reason I liked it, and this is going to kind of be a spoiler but not too much but if you're REALLY REALLY CONCERNED then SPOILER WARNING DON'T READ ANY MORE. But the ending is not at all happy or conventional in any kind of Normal Hollywood Sense and is in fact at the very least ambiguous and at the worst/best it's an active "fuck you" to Hollywood endings and the lessons we've come to expect from Hollywood movies, e.g., (1) small towns are where it's real and where True Happiness resides and (2) you find happiness in life by eschewing the Big City and returning Home.
But people aren't used to that! It pisses them off when they get an ending they're not expecting! So that's why the two mouth-breathing mush-brained talking-during-movie late-teen-early 20s chicks next to us were VISIBLY UPSET at the end of the movie. Mush-brained Idiot #1, in fact, stood up and announced "That's the worst movie I've ever seen! I'M BLAMING YOU FOR THIS DANIELLE." Hopefully Danielle told her to stick it up her talkative fucking ass, but we were already on our way out and didn't get a chance to hear what riposte, if any, Danielle offered.
(Also, to make this sound official and like a real review: "Great performances by Theron and especially by Patton Oswalt!!" The review in Slate pointed out that Oswalt's come a long way as an actor since he stood perfectly still in the background for 3 minutes in the opening scene of this episode of King of Queens. Seriously, watch the beginning. It's like performance art. He's JUST STANDING THERE. Hilarious.)
Anyway, check it out.
As a heterosexual woman, even *I* would probably leave my spouse and kids for Charlize Theron. Because, COME ON.
ReplyDeleteThat's the whole episode of KoQ. There are many more apparently on youtube. Nobody cares enough about that miserable show to even email a takedown notice.
ReplyDeleteSo first you have to put up with rude talkers at rock shows and now more geese at the movies? WTF is wrong with people these days? Don't their parents teach them any manners?
ReplyDeleteOh, and for the record, I would absolutely leave my wife and child (even though I don't have one) for an alcoholic Charlize Theron. Hell, I'd bring the booze!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm not the only one who gets blamed if the movie isn't any good. I'M ONE OF YOU DANIELLE. Maybe in a few more years, my better half will understand that French movies aren't *supposed* to make any sense. Until then, we usually try to go to Kabuki 1 and drink heavily.
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