Young Adult - the movie

[drewan]

Joe and I went to a surprise screening of Diablo Cody's new film, Young Adult. We didn't know what movie it would be until we arrived. I'm not a big fan of Cody, but I think her writing is smart and engaging.

In the movie, Charlize Theron plays Mavis, a 30-something writer who ghosts writes a series of young adult (YA) novels. However, my mind just didn't make the connection from her writing to the title of the film. But now that I've seen this poster for the movie, I TOTALLY get the connection. The movie isn't about her YA writing specifically, but her writing is used as a way to get an internal look into what's going in Mavis's head. She's writing juvenile characters, which in a way is a reflection of her own failure to grow up. (I'm NOT saying all YA writers are juvenile.) I really got into this little glimpse of Mavis's depressed, obsessive, bitter life.

When you go see this film in December, try and get past how bitter and unlikeable Mavis is. She's fucked up, but she really felt real to me. Not in the quirky yet hip Juno way. She's an adult stuck in her teenage high school habits. This movie isn't a comedy, and not really a tragedy either. It's a look at a cathartic weekend for Mavis as she learns a hard lesson and makes a miniscule amount of self growth.