In a year when 50/50 shows us what are the positive aspects of pop culture references, it's hard to remember that there are negatives. From the opening scene, Young Adult is all about using pop culture references to establish characters and explain why sometimes the past should be best left behind. During the opening credits, Teenage Fanclub's "The Concept" is playing repeatedly on a cassette tape as Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is on her way back to her hometown in Minnesota. While it starts out as an odd obsession, the song plays into the story more and more with each passing moment.
While Mavis claims that she is in town for a rental deal, she actually is there to try and fall back in love with her high school boyfriend Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson). Along the way, she runs into Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt) at a bar, who shares homemade alcohol and regale in ways that high school messed him up. Mavis, a semi-successful young adult author, seems to be out of touch with everyone and never once feels satisfied in her journey to separate Buddy from his wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser) and baby.
The story is essentially a homecoming story about someone who doesn't belong at home anymore. While everyone is comfortable with their simple lives, Mavis is obsessed with tearing it apart for no other reason than an old obsession. Her life is falling apart with her book series coming to an end and her diet consisting of soda and the E Channel. The movie plays as a train wreck that works simply because Charlize Theron delivers a performance that never approaches over the top or self indulgent. The other performances help to paint the whole picture and create one of the most unique looks at suburban culture this year.
Writer Diablo Cody may have drawn from her own personal pop culture obsessions of the 80's and 90's for this movie, though every character feels authentic. With references being tampered down to allow the plot and characters to advance, it feels like a more mature movie than her previous works. Most of all, she uses the references more as crutches than characteristics. The characters are flawed because of their obsessions and the movie explores ways to grow up and move away from them.
This isn't a very convenient movie overall. While it has a lot of humor, it is mostly in the story where the interesting stuff happens. As Mavis continues to go off the wall, it opens questions to why she crashed her car into a pole, got drunk with Matt, and leaves her dog to live out of her purse and hotel rooms. In a way, it's a reflection of how crazy obsession can drive people without going the insane route of making each scene an endurance test of a woman off her meds.
While the movie eventually chastises pop culture references, it works so well to establish Cody as one of the more interesting voices to pay attention to. She doesn't have a perfect record, but with a voice that isn't easily mistaken, she brings life to characters and makes them scarred in unique and memorable ways. The final act alone provides so much resolution of character that it almost doesn't matter if Mavis hasn't fully changed. There isn't a big twist to this story. It's mostly just a story about life and learning to let go.
While it isn't nearly as gripping as director Jason Reitman's previous film Up in the Air, he delivers a steady hand in bringing these characters to life with each one getting their own few minutes to shine. As a whole, it paints a great picture of suburban life and manages to balance the comedic moments with the drama well enough to not seem overbearing.
With another good dramatic performance by Patton Oswalt and Charlize Theron, this is one great movie that reminds us that good stories can still be written, even if the people behind them have no clue. With a story that analyzes obsession and writer's block with equal measures, this is one of the best movies of the year. It never attempts to do the obvious and instead goes in ambitious, bizarre directions without feeling forced.
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