I had heard great things about Young Adult but after watching it, I felt let down. While I didn’t think the film was a masterpiece, Charlize Theron’s performance was excellent. I haven’t seen Monster for which the actress won an Oscar in 2003 but this was the best I’ve seen her.
Theron plays a 37 year old divorcee, author of a young adult book series who upon receiving an email from her High School boyfriend featuring a photo his new baby decides to go back to her hometown in the mistaken belief that they are soul mates.
Theron’s inability to properly enter the adult world is the main theme of the film. Despite a reasonably successful career we see that her apartment looks like a college dorm, her car is filthy and she drops clothes, makeup and rubbish wherever she feels like it. Her diet consists of Diet Coke, whiskey and ice cream. She is basically living the life of a teenager and as the film progresses we begin to suspect that she is also like a teenager on the inside. As a character study, the film is brilliant. Unfortunately, I was just expecting more from the rest of it. Perhaps if I’d gone in without great expectations I’d be writing a glowing review right now.
The other actors do a fine job of supporting Theron but are complexly outclassed by her. You can see minute details in her face such as a slight glimmer of hope when she believes she may have a chance to win back her ex. If not for her I wouldn’t have enjoyed the film. The script is reasonable and features some good lines for Theron’s character. I also liked the character of the geeky, fat guy from high school who becomes Theron’s confidant.
What annoyed me most about the whole film was that it was like one 93 minute Diet Coke ad. I understand that sometimes the drink was used as a device to show that Theron doesn’t look after her body and only drinks coke but it featured in about half the scenes in the film. Sometimes there would be a can on a table, its label facing the camera. In another scene, Theron bends down and the camera goes to her feet which are next to two large boxes of Diet Coke. I understand that some films are part financed by product placement but when it’s that obvious it just gets annoying. Other product placement in the film included Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell. It was a bit OTT and the fact that it was so obvious shows how little I cared about the characters and plot.
When it comes down to it, I didn’t dislike Young Adult; I’m just finding it difficult to think of reasons why I did like it.
6/10
