Young Adult

Smart. Witty. Real. Young Adult is written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman. This is the same dynamic duo that created 2007’s facetiously clever comedy, Juno.

The funniest jokes are the ones that are based in truth. The same is true of a good comedic film. Theron plays Mavis Gary, a former member of the “popular crowd” in high school, that has gone on to live her dreams in the city and make a name for herself writing what came to be a very popular teenage book series. The movie opens, however, to a low, depressed, self-deprecating and physically disheveled Theron whose career is on a downward spiral, as she struggles to write the final book of the now once popular teen series. Mavis is lonely and unfulfilled and she leaves the city on a quest to return to her hometown to win back her high school boyfriend, Buddy, now married and with child.  On this outrageously hopeless and pathetic journey Mavis realizes her life is really no better than those that stuck around her hometown. She always thought she was “better than that,” but it turns out she’s over 30, miserably unhappy and has no direction whatsoever.

The film is about as dark, as dark comedy’s get. Theron proves again that not only is she stunning, but incredibly talented. The film is a must-see because it’s something millions of graduating high school students every year can relate to. It’s also something millions of adults that have left their hometowns are drawn to. For those graduating high school seniors that have aspirations of leaving their hometowns and never coming back, this film is for you. Home is the place so many of us want to leave and get as far away from as possible. But life teaches you about the cruelties of the world, and home is the place you always return, no matter what. It’s also the place those that get away, often fear having to permanently return to. Some of us choose to stay in the comforts of our hometowns the rest of our lives. Ultimately, this film shows us that no matter what life choices we make and no matter where we end up, we’re not all that different after all. The stay-at-home parent wants the life of the successful writer with the glitz and the glamour-filled lifestyle. The writer wants a family and a husband and a place to actually call home.  

We’re all human,  and we all want what we don’t have. That’s what makes this film so relatable and the characters in the film so real. Diablo Cody writes movies for real people. This movie is great because it makes you cringe as you watch Mavis go through this ultimate low in her life. But, it’s a classic tale of, what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger. Sometimes, life happens, but then life goes on and we pick ourselves up, and we keep going.

Young Adult is one of the best films of 2011. No glitz, no glam, just grit. And most of the time, that’s just the way life is.