Review by Pamela Zoslov
Sutter Keely, the high school senior at the
center of THE SPECTACULAR NOW,
is a believer in “living in the now” — not because he's a
Buddhist or an adherent of Eckhart Tolle, but because it's his nature
to resist change. An easygoing kid, he's content with his lackluster
grades and his job at a men's clothing store. Unlike his friends, he
has no plans to go to college. Miles' secure little world is shaken
when his pretty blond girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larsson) dumps him, sending
him on a painful emotional journey.
Directed by James Ponsoldt and written
by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (500 DAYS OF SUMMER),
THE SPECTACULAR NOW takes a seemingly prosaic young-adult
story and transforms it, through the alchemy of expert handling, into
something extraordinary. The story, adapted from a novel by Tim
Tharp, has the soggy elements of a Nicholas Sparks weepie: divorced parents,
an absent alcoholic dad, a troubled teen romance. Yet there is depth
here, enhanced by strong casting, confident direction, understated
cinematography and insightful writing. (Happily, the movie also has none
of the grating “quirkiness” of 500 DAYS OF SUMMER.)
The narrative is framed by the writing
of a college admissions essay, in which 17-year-old Sutter (Miles
Teller, who resembles a young John Cusack), recounts what happened
after Cassidy broke up with him. “We were the life of every party,”
he says. Sutter lives with, and exasperates, his hard-working single
mom (the excellent Jennifer Jason Leigh). He's a budding alcoholic
who is never without his silver hip flask, pouring booze from it into
his Big Gulp cups at work. Sutter has an easygoing, fun personality
that lets him get away with being irresponsible. He also has a
considerate side. He helps his friend hook up with a girl, and
initiates a relationship with Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley), a
“nice girl” whose front lawn he wakes up on after a night of hard
partying. Aimee is the kind of girl who has a newspaper route, and
Sutter helps her deliver the papers.
“Strange choice for a rebound,”
remarks Sutter's friend, presumably because Aimee, while pretty,
isn't a knockout like Sutter's ex. Sutter claims he's dating Aimee to
help her — he says he's giving her a “boyfriend experience.”
This seems a little cruel, but in time, the unlikely pair develop
real intimacy. She tutors him in geometry, a class he's failing; he
urges her to stand up to her unreasonable mom. Unfortunately, Sutter
also introduces Aimee to drinking, on prom night presenting her with her
with her very own silver hip flask. In lucid moments, Sutter
realizes he's not good for Aimee. He's as noncommital about her as he is about his future; while dating Aimee, he
pines for, chats online with and occasionally hangs out with ex-girlfriend Cassidy, who's now dating someone else. Aimee, looking on dejectedly while Sutter dances with Cassidy at the prom, is the embodiment of adolescent angst.
Though she was not the first choice for
the role (Saoirse Ronan was), Woodley is perfect as the shy girl who
can't believe one of the school's most popular boys is interested in
her. She has a natural, guileless smile that looks as though she just
had her braces removed. Teller, who was memorable alongside Nicole
Kidman in the 2010 RABBIT HOLE, ably inhabits Sutter's
contradictions.
At Aimee's urging, Sutter tracks down
his long-absent dad, and that predictably ill-fated meeting holds up
an unflattering mirror to Sutter and his lackadaisical way of life. Kyle Chandler's interesting
performance as Sutter's distracted dipso dad lifts a cliché-prone
situation to a higher level.
This movie, like Matthew Quick's SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, demonstrates that there's a lot of talent
residing on the young-adult bookshelf. 3 1/4 out of 4 stars.
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