BY MIKEY MIGO
I didn’t know what I was expecting with this movie. The last time Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody worked together they gave us Juno. That was a great movie, but I think the overblown hype when it first came out made me want to shun it. My biggest complaint was the buzz-word filled-“fast talking”-“Gilmore Girls” style of dialogue. I had no problem with one or two people talking like that, but it was the entire world of the movie. That took me out of it because it felt like it was trying too hard. The movie was sweet and funny enough on its own. Then Cody put out that shitty horror movie and the underrated “United States of Tara”. I want to enjoy her work. I really dig her spirit and love for the obscure, but I was afraid her newest movie “Young Adult” would make my eyes roll so much that I finally find that lost contact from 5th grade. Whatever. Maybe it’s just me being neurotic. Maybe I should have tried a little harder to go in with an open mind. The movie stars Charlize Theron as a woman in her late 30’s who hasn’t let go of high school to the point that her career is writing teen novels. She goes back home. Her old love, Patrick Wilson is married and happy. She can’t accept this and her only real friend in town is the town misfit of sorts in Patton Oswalt. In terms of “Juno”, Patrick Wilson was pretty much Jason Bateman. He was nice, charming, and overall a really good guy. Other than that, the comparisons stop. Reitman’s direction was much more direct. It didn’t linger like a lot of poppy-indie films do. It cut right to the point and gave us a direct and gritty shot of what was up. Patton Oswalt was the shit. I’ve been a fan of his stand up comedy and his character actor work in things. He’s just a likeable guy. He’s easy to cheer on and he makes it even easier with his work here. For those of us, like Diablo Cody, who have seen him in “United States of Tara” or “Big Fan” knows he has some drama chops. He has a natural charm that makes you feel his emotions. It’s not like watching a Johnny Depp or a normal leading guy. He’s not showing us what happens, he’s sharing it. I think with the right roles, the dude is in for some great shit on the horizon. Theron was great. She always is. Casting Charlize Theron is almost like cheating because she’s so good at anything she does. No difference here. She was entertaining, unlikeable, immature, tragic, and so loveable all at once. She believes her delusions to the point you want them to be true. You want her bitchiness to be justified just so she stops embarrassing herself. Really solid role. I turns out I really enjoyed this movie. This is Diablo Cody’s best work. Juno is the reason we’re even talking about her, but Young Adult is the reason we should keep being excited about her work. This movie wasn’t perfect and didn’t have the glittery hipster charm of her other work. I think when you strip away that need to be “hip”, she has a really deep core. That’s what I want to see in her future movies. Big ups, Miss Cody. Big ups. A-
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