This review by Scott Lawlor of Front Room Cinema.
From the highs of BRIDESMAIDS to the lows of BAD TEACHER it seems that now is the time for dysfunctional females to take the lead. Young Adult from the pen of Diablo Cody tells the tale of Mavis Gary, played by Charlize Theron, a troubled late thirty-something who is just about existing as a ghost writer of a failing teen novel series.
Mavis is the perfect manifestation of an anti-heroine. She is hard drinking, lazy, lonely and divorced. She makes Lindsay Lohan look like a perfect example of a human being.
Whilst writing her latest (and last) novel, she receives an email announcement from her old High School sweet-heart stating the arrival of his baby daughter. This is the catalyst in a bad decision to return to her home town, Mercury, and win back Buddy, whom she still regards as the love of her life. He will obviously, in her eyes anyway, fall head over heels for her and dump the baby like an old pair of socks.
What happens next, when she arrives in Mercury, where the residents whom she regards as country HICKS and to whom she is somewhat of a celebrity, can be described as many things… But what it boils down is to a bit of Buddy Stalking!
In between assaults on the prisoner, which she assumes Buddy must be in his new family. Mavis befriends Matt, another person from her year in High School. Matt was an outcast in those days, and he still wears the scars both physical and emotional to prove it. Mavis at first cannot remember Matt, even when he points out the fact that they had adjacent lockers for many years.
Jason Reitman and Diablo cody last worked together on Juno, which got Cody the award and Reitman a nod. Young Adult is fairly similar in approach to Juno, a cynical and low-key character study that feels subdued and off kilter.
Theron’s turn in the role of Mavis Grey is very strong. the character is selfish, desperate, juvenile, deluded, oblivious, abrasive and destructive. Not exactly WIFE material. Interestingly this time around Theron is not playing against her stunning looks, instead the character embraces them, but essentially like her Oscar winning role in MONSTER she has created another kind of beast.
Some might find the film a bit of a turn off. It is hard to like a character who is the central role that is THIS unlikeable, even though she is truly fascinating and you are left always looking for a glimmer of hope behind her eyes.
While Theron walks a tightrope role that is amazing to watch, I found that the show was essentially stolen by Patton Oswalt, whose turn as the ex-geek disabled school mate and surprising confidant to Mavis is unique and unforgettable. It is always nice to see a comedian flex their dramatic chops, and Oswalt does this in spades.
To sum up, Young Adult is a dark comedy-drama of discomfort. The protagonist is one of the most unlikeable characters to grace our screens this year so far, and this film will not suit all tastes. But it seems to carve itself an edgy niche all of it’s own.
