YOUNG ADULT

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
MARCH 25, 2012

“Young Adult” and all its unrelenting qualities are not Jason Reitman’s nor Diablo Cody’s best work. Yet, it entertains and showcases its talent justly and ends up a sub-standard comedy.

Diablo Cody returns to small-town Minnesota as she does with most of her writing. In this pseudo-comedy, the main character, Mavis (Charlize Theron), returns home from the big city of Minneapolis to pursue her high school flame, Buddy (Patrick Wilson). The problem; is Buddy is happily married with a newborn baby boy. Despite the warnings of her newfound drinking buddy, Matt (Patton Oswalt), Mavis finds any way possible to get alone time with Buddy in hopes of replanting the seed of love, no matter the consequences. Like watching a train wreck happen in slow motion, it climaxes with the baby shower scene where the train finally derails.

Charlize Theron transforms into Mavis Gary’s role, abandoning all redeeming qualities about herself and becoming this jaded, teenage shell of an adult. Her performance is there, but the character is so unlikable that it is hard to invest in her emotions or care about any outcome. You want her to see the error of her ways and come up with some more profound understanding, but she never quite gets there, leaving a bitter taste in the end. Many compare the film to “Greenberg,” where Ben Stiller portrays a very unlikable character. However, “Greenberg” came off as having some social disorder and not understanding social normalities. Mavis understands these norms perfectly. She chooses to avoid them.

Patton Oswalt hits a peak in his career, displaying a more profound emotional side to his usual comedic nature. Much like his role in the independent film “Big Fan,” Oswalt finds perfection in the outcast, delving to deeper levels yet remaining downright comical when needed. Was crippling him the best convention for the film? His character would have worked fine without the handicap, which I found utterly distracting from the rest of the film’s themes.

The convention that was needed and worked well was Mavis and her alcoholism. Un-admittedly reaching her peak in high school, Mavis even opens up to her parents, saying, “I think I’m an alcoholic.” They brush this statement off, but the audience has seen her consume alcohol in just about every scene. Without this element, Mavis would be almost unfathomably devoid of emotion. Adding that crux to her personality gives at least some reason for her madness.

There is something in the repetitive nature of the film that leaves “Young Adult” lacking. Had there been more to the storyline than Mavis continuously trying to win over Buddy, the film could have been more enjoyable. There were no twists, no new developments, and no redemption. None of the characters learn anything, nothing further is produced out of their situations, and everyone seems to return to their everyday lives following the film’s conclusion.

The humor is still there (mostly given away by advertisements), but “Young Adult” fails to live up to the comedic gold I had pictured. It does hold on to some out-of-the-box originality supplied by Diablo Cody and her eccentric idioms. I had ultimately expected more from the duo of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody (their last venture of “Juno” remaining an all-time favorite), who delivered a “good enough” film but nothing compared to their past works.