Reitman, Cody Reteam Again with More Adult Comedy

Some people grow up while are still the self-serving witches that you hated in high school.

It’s an unfortunate truth that growing up is simply just another part of life. Sure, you’d love to freeze time and stay in that 18-year-old body without a care in the world and idolized in high school or college for some shallow reason. Things change. 

And for author Mavis Gary, she still hasn’t grown up and she’s well into her mid thirties. Charlize Theron (Monster) plays Gary in Young Adult, directed by the quite talented Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. After nearly twenty years since graduation, Mavis returns home with one thing on her mind – getting back together with her old high school flame (Patrick Wilson), even if that means being a downright home wrecker.

This is not Reitman and Cody’s first team-up as writer and director; a few years back they conjured up coming-of-age story, Juno, winning over not only critics but the general public as well. A feat like that isn’t exactly rare, but a repeat with Young Adult would cement a fantastic relationship between the two. Young Adult is not going to appeal to the mainstream as strongly as Juno did and is much darker, less quirkier, and Charlize Theron’s Mavis is an emotional train wreck. It feels like Cody is adding another piece of the puzzle of one messed up life. The dialogue is less snappy, but complements Theron’s character and those around her.

Charlize Theron definitely gives her best performance in nearly a decade, especially after a recent lapse of quality films. Reitman paints Mavis as a character that is initially hated, still living in a world where the past twenty or so years have not passed. She is far from being respected, still drinking soda for breakfast and constantly clad in teenybopper fads. Adding to that, she still has that mentality that she is going to get Patrick Wilson, even though he’s married and has a newborn. That in itself screams unbalanced and immature. 

But Theron does a fantastic job with the role, eating up every minute of being hated or pitied. Patton Oswalt is a great addition to the cast as the disabled geek Theron knew from high school. He’s the typical go-to guy for Theron, even though they were from opposite ends of the social spectrum decades ago. Patrick Wilson works more as a prize you just can’t get your hands on and doesn’t have that much personality. A bit bland, but at the same time, his character fits the purpose of the story being the one who matured.

The fact that Theron’s character is an author or more so ghostwriter for a teenage book series could have been used as just a trivial component, but it actually means more than that, using it as an outlet to express her true feelings through words. Just because Mavis made it out of her small Minnesota town and has a better career than her old high school graduates doesn’t necessarily mean that she has the perfect life and by confronting her past, it adds to the richness of the narrative. Now for most of the movie, the audience is supposed to hate or pity Mavis and one would think that such a reaction would leave consistent bitterness, but Reitman and Cody add some humor in there. It’s not overdone, where the story uses humor as a crutch to get away from the drama, rather comes natural in sporadic moments throughout the film.  

Theron, Reitman and Cody should be proud of Young Adult, as a slice of life of someone who thought had it all and still thinks they do. There’s nothing better than seeing great collaborators coming back together, even at the expense of appealing to a wider audience. A little darker in tone than expected, Young Adult still manages to entertain on many different levels.

GRADE: B (8/10)
This review is also available on Blu-Ray.com