For a movie that looked like it would be very awkward and unpleasant, I must admit that Young Adult exceeds my expectations in those categories. Charlize Theron stars as a writer of young adult novels, who receives a birth announcement from her old flame, played by Patrick Wilson. Reading this as a sign that he’s unhappy with his life, she returns to her home town and attempts to win him back. While she attempts to woo this happily married man away from his family, she develops an unexpected sort of friendship with a former classmate, played by Patton Oswalt.
Theron plays her character well, even though she is essentially both the protagonist and antagonist of the film. Written to make the viewer question the mindset of the character and her grip on reality, there are tons of questionable moments that border on cringe-worthy. But I guess that is the point of this movie. It’s the presentation of a terribly flawed individual and her fall from normalcy, all the while disguised as a self-empowerment story. Written by Juno scribe, Diablo Cody, there are strong moments of a-typical dialogue. There are even instants, which could possibly show how Cody gets some of her material. Theron’s character overhears a pair of teenage girls speaking in hyperbole on multiple occasions. These prove to be some of the film’s best moments.
Young Adult is a fairly tough movie to solve. The initial reaction is one of immense dislike. The lead is so screwed up that it’s not entertaining to watch. Then when you dig past that character there are performances like Oswalt’s. Who knew that the comedian could portray such complex emotions in playing a fairly complex character? Apparently the casting people did. As a supposed comedy, I would have liked there to be more comedy instead of awkwardness passed off as jokes. This is just another film in the line of potential award contenders that seek to take all the fun out of going to the movies. (7.5 out of 10)
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