“Spectacular Now” No Ordinary Teen Flick
Tired of mindless, shallow, puerile teenage high school
movies? “The Spectacular Now” provides a thought-provoking alternative message
about responsibility and the consequences of irresponsibility while still managing to be funny.
Directed by James Ponsoldt, “The Spectacular Now” is based
on the novel by Tim Tharp, with screenplay by Scott Neustadter.
The two main characters are played by two relatively unknown
actors who look more like real kids than movie stars.
Miles Teller is the lead character, Sutter Keely, a likeable
high school senior and directionless slacker who is becoming increasingly fond
of nipping from the flask he always carries with him.
We meet Sutter in mid-dumping by his pretty girlfriend
Cassidy (Brie Larson).
Sutter tries not to let it get him down, so he starts
hitting on other girls at a party. The next thing he knows he is shaken awake
by Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley), a mousy smart-girl classmate, who has
found him passed out on her front lawn.
“Where is my car?” asks the dazed Sutter, who asks Aimee to
help him find it.
Both Sutter and Aimee have issues with parents. Neither has
a father figure and both feel oppressed by their mother. The two each help the
other. Sutter encourages Aimee to be more confident and independent. He also
introduces her to booze.
Aimee tutors Sutter in math and encourages him to be more
serious about school and a goal in life.
Romance blossoms, but there is a 500-pound gorilla obstacle
that prevents the couple from realizing either one’s short-term dreams.
Director James Ponsoldt had an earlier film with a heavier
and more obvious message called “Smashed.” Screenwriter Neustadter explored the
fleeting vagaries of young romance in “500 Days of Summer.” The two elements
are combined beautifully thanks to the wonderfully natural performances of
Miles Teller, an actor who is scarred figuratively and literally, and Shailene
Woodley in her first grown-up role since she played George Clooney’s daughter
in “The Descendants.”
“The Spectacular Now” is no ordinary teen flick. That’s why
young people should see it.
would like to watch it~ =D
ReplyDeleteRegards, www.lonelyreload.com (A Growing Teenager Diary)