YOUNG ADULT: a review by fog
January 23rd 2012 11:07
Mavis is peeved off!
Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary; a reasonably successful ghost writer of “YA”, young adult novels, whose personal life sucks. Mavis picks up blokes in bars, anywhere really, takes them to her home and jumps their bones, then wriggles out from underneath them the morning after. She is never around long enough for them to awaken in her presence, thereby avoiding a relationship.
Commitment to Mavis is akin to becoming a Communist; she can be the only totalitarian power in her little world, which is about to start shrinking, as her YA books are not selling well anymore.
Mavis is chillingly indifferent to cute babies, but does have a cute little fluff ball doggie, which figures in her life more as an accessory than a responsibility; think Paris Hilton with her handbag dog, but with more brains.
poor little doggie
Mavis thinks anyone who lives in a small town is a total loser, probably because she left one to make something of herself. Initially, this aspect of her character is highlighted when she receives an email from her ex-boyfriend Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson) who invites her to his ‘hippyesque’ baby shower for he and his wife's newly delivered baby.
Then a large baby photo appears, so she decides to print it out, using her spittle to lubricate the ink reservoir...
The resultant colour distorted 'bespittled' baby picture now stares smilingly back at her, sticking out of her handbag by her bed, amidst a sea of Coke and Bourbon bottles and other detritus, that she can't be bothered cleaning up. House proud she is not!
Shopping for more than ice cream...
After yet another drunken pick up, as she wriggles out from under the unconscious and unwanted conquest, Mavis has a change of attitude and decides to flee the city for her old small town home of Mercury, where she left her high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade, the now proud father. Mavis has other ideas.
On the false pretext of looking into real estate purchases in Mercury, Mavis arrives and gets to work; to find happiness at all costs, except to herself. Mavis tempts her old flame out for a drink, but he has baby duties, a temporary setback, as Mavis not only likes to get her way, she is used to it.
Mavis has found that copious amounts of strong booze helps anaesthetise her feelings of insecurity and possibly guilt, although that is most unlikely, as Mavis comes across as a totally self absorbed sociopath.
poor Matt (Patton Oswalt)
Mavis, while investigating her old town’s bars to kill time, finds a temporary playmate, a guy she only remembered as being beaten up for being gay, leaving him lame in one leg. In fact, Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt) is not gay, as he repeatedly corrects everyone, but admits being a total geek, and does not have a busy social calendar.
A most unlikely friendship brews between them, then, as Matt discovers her plans, to steal her ex-boyfriend away from his partner and baby, he tries to counsel her by appealing to her better nature...
The film has a great support cast, all of whom contribute to the dramatic and comedic aspects of the film through the normality of their reactions, becoming perfect foils for Mavis’ awful behaviour and the black humour in the film.
Ignoring the reality, that Buddy does not want to leave his life for her, Mavis rails against the chorus of quiet indignation she is creating. Mavis does her best to win, and in some disturbed and twisted way she did; for she leaves the same as she came, if not worse.
For now she feels justified in her attitude to life, due to the well meaning but naive sister of Matt, Sandra Freehauf (Collette Wolfe), who cheers her up at the moment Mavis was about to have some insight into her negative character, then begs Mavis to take her with her when she leaves this town of over weight losers. Mavis' response to Sandra is a dark comedic gem!
Look out Buddy! (Patrick Wilson)
In the end, as the credits rolled, it occurred to me I just saw a rare film from Hollywood; where the protagonist is an attractive but thoroughly unlikeable bitch who, in the end, reveals nothing has changed; she emerges just as self-centred and compassionless as she started.
Charlize Theron obviously enjoys playing this role, and she gives it a full throttle performance throughout.
This dramedy is well worth a look for that aspect alone!
Rating: MA 15 (Strong coarse language) Release 19/1/12 (93mins)
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Mountain Fog
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
haha!
And I agree, Juno was extremely likeable, but it did come across as someone of the protagonists' age having written it, not a more mature intellect.
This film definitely has "balls" (as Craig Ferguson's robot would say)
tanx mate, and upon consideration, it has so much grit that I'd definitely see it again on DVD.
cheers
fog