Do you ever wonder what happened to that pretty, popular, really bitchy girl in high school whom you secretly worshiped (or hated) from afar? She's probably really successful these days, right? I mean, she was good looking--and good looks are scientifically proven to give people an advantage in work and romance. She was also super popular, so she's probably still a charismatic go-getter today, right?
Well, if the idea of the Queen Bee of your high school becoming the Queen Bee of adulthood gets you all riled up and jealous, take comfort in the fabulousness (and fabulously dark, nearly black comedy) of Young Adult. Written by Diablo Cody (writer of Juno, whose work here is much more mature and subtle than her previous films) and directed by Jason Reitman, Young Adult is a sad and funny look into the lives of the previous Queen Bees and Wannabees of high school 15 years down the road.The wonderful Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a 37-year-old ghostwriter of a once popular but now floundering young adult series, Waverly Prep. The books are clearly modeled after real life young adult series like Private and Gossip Girl, and, as someone who's guiltily read her fair share of trashy teen prep school books, I loved the narration we hear as Mavis writes the final installment of Waverly Prep (e.g. "Kendall was the prettiest girl in her school. She was such a legend, that she was nominated for Homecoming Queen...at a rival school.") Mavis is the perfect person to write these books because she totally gets the mindset of her characters: she is immature, narcissistic in the extreme, devoid of personality, and believes herself to be quite a catch despite her alcoholism and dirty apartment. Mavis hit her peak in high school and since then has avoided adulthood and growing up.
After receiving an email from her high school boyfriend, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson--who excels at playing the handsome, nice, clueless dudes) celebrating the birth of his first child, Mavis decides that she and Buddy are meant to be together (never mind that Buddy is happily married and loves being a new dad). She hops in her car and drives from Minneapolis to her tiny hometown of Mercury, Minnesota to attempt to seduce Buddy and relive her glory days as Prom Queen and popular girl who made everyone else miserable.
It becomes apparent very quickly just how pathetic Mavis is. She gulps down shot after shot of Maker's Mark as she plots how to steal Buddy away from his wife. When she meets up with Buddy, he's oblivious to her overly eager flirtations. Buddy's wife, Beth (played by Elizabeth Reaser), is clearly so much cooler and comfortable in her own skin than Mavis is. There's no reason in the world why Buddy, doting dad and hubby, would leave Beth for Mavis. And everyone can see it except Mavis herself, who hurls headlong into the deep end of vile narcissism and foolishness in her attempts to win Buddy over.
Along the way, Mavis reconnects with her polar opposite: Matt Freehauf (played by Patton Oswalt in a hilarious and pitch-perfect role). Matt was a fat theatre kid in high school who was maimed in a hate crime. Some jocks thought he was gay and beat him up so badly that he still has to use a cane to walk. And it turned out that Matt wasn't even gay, so the "hate crime" was reclassified as just a boring old "fat guy gets beat up" crime. Matt still lives in Mercury with his sister and considers himself a crippled, fat geek. But he's a fair bit cooler than Mavis--he distills his own bourbon! Despite their differences, Mavis and Matt spend the majority of the movie hanging out together, while Matt tries to get her to lay off Buddy and go to therapy instead.
SPOILERS
After a deliciously schadenfreude-y climax, in which Mavis goes on a screaming rant at Beth and Buddy's "baby-naming ceremony", the inevitable happens. If you're the kind of person who has always wanted to watch Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt have very sad, very passionless sex...well, have I got the movie for you! That scene alone is worth the price of admission. If you're a weirdo like me, that is.
END SPOILERS
Mavis is told by multiple people throughout the movie that she is "mentally ill". Indeed, I wondered if she was just very, very stupid in addition to being selfish. Sociopaths usually have charisma and a knowledge of how to fake legit, human emotions and manners. Mavis appears to experience no emotions whatsoever (except "I want that") and is too thick to understand the appalled reactions of other people while on her rampage of neediness and destruction. This is no redemption movie. No one--least of all Mavis--learns anything by the end. This really isn't a revenge fantasy movie either, because Mavis' life is so sad and she doesn't have the awareness to understand why she's sad and what needs to be done to change it. Young Adult really is a dark, cringe-inducing comedy about screwed up people. If you liked Election and Sideways, you'll probably enjoy Young Adult. It's not for everyone.
Charlize Theron really got fugly for her role as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 film Monster, so she's no stranger to vanity-free roles. As the immature, alcoholic, manipulative Mavis, Theron gets incredibly ugly again: not on the surface, but in the soul. I'm amazed that she didn't get nominated for an Oscar for this movie. She is a standout in one of the best casts I've seen recently.
5 out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment