‘Sometimes in order to heal, a few people have to get hurt…’
I didn’t love Juno. I found its forced quirkiness and Hot Topic aesthetic difficult to swallow. That’s not to say that it didn’t have its moments, with some of the more verbose elements of Diablo Cody’s script even evoking Kevin Smith at his best, but it wasn’t really my bag. Young Adult sees director Jason Reitman and Cody reuniting after the success of Juno in the second of three collaborations between the two (the other being 2018s Tully). Despite slipping through the net a little, Young Adult wipes the floor with Juno…
Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is a seemingly successful YA (ghost)writer whose life starts to spin out of control when she returns to her hick hometown to reunite with her long lost lover Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson). As she succumbs more and more to drink and destructive behaviour, Mavis only has that one loser from high school (Patton Oswalt) to turn to.
Whereas large swathes of Juno were just plain annoying, Cody’s work here is much more naturalistic and compelling. The disconnect between Theron’s perception of herself as a home town hero returning to ‘save’ her ex boyfriend from a life of domestic hell, and the reality of a lonely alcoholic with nowhere to turn is stark, and never played for laughs. One startling moment has Mavis attempting to tell her parents that she is an alcoholic – a suggestion that is promptly laughed off by both of them.
Theron has a great time here channeling the complicated juxtaposition that occurs when your ‘home’ is no longer a safe haven. Her relationship with Oswalt’s lovable but similarly troubled Matt is strangely beautiful and both actors work hard to sell the chemistry between them. Patrick Wilson is also there, being quietly competent as he always is, and it helps that Young Adult also boasts a great soundtrack (Teenage Fanclub? Yes please).
Young Adult takes what could be a corny concept and ends up being a meditation on self awareness, nostalgia and loneliness. A surprisingly intelligent movie.