Phil sees YOUNG ADULT at the Camera 12-December 17, 2011

After seeing BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY at the Camera 3, I walked over to the Camera 12 and saw another great film. Starring the beautiful and talented Charlize Theron, YOUNG ADULT is the newest film by director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, the creative team that brought us the Academy award-winning film JUNO.

Theatrical Movie Poster (2011)

In the film Theron portrays recently divorced Mavis Gary, a Minneapolis based author of young adult books and a ranging alcoholic who returns to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota to win back her high school sweetheart Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson). However, Buddy his happily married to his wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser) who has just given birth to their first child. But in Mavis' eyes, this is just a small hurdle as she plans to reclaim her love. The only other person in on her plan is Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt) who she meets at her old bar haunt and strikes up an unusual friendship. Mavis sinks and goes to great hilarious lengths to reclaim her former boyfriend.

Here is a film that reminds us the sometimes its' best not to live in the past for too long. Theron's Mavis is obsessed with her past, reliving her glory days right at the beginning of the film, as she drives back to Mercury while listening to a mixed tape that reminds her of her Buddy. Mavis is somewhat taken back of  how small and pathetic her hometown is still. Theron's performance is fantastic, portraying Mavis with humor, nastiness, and with a touch of vulnerability. She still thinks she's more popular than anyone else and still acts like the world revolves around her. Her dependency on alcohol is hilarious, whether she's at her local dive bar to Buddy's daughter's naming party. But on the flipside, Mavis is shown to be unhappy, even through she claims she's busy with work and says that Buddy is "trapped" in his marriage and that she can free him. But free him from what? A happy life, a beautiful wife, and a beautiful child? Things for Buddy are great, which only makes Mavis even more upset and more determined to steal Buddy back.

Both Reitman and Cody have done a marvelous job at creating this very funny and very dark comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. I could really relate to Mavis: I too sometimes live in the past. Sometimes we all do this to hide from the present. Sometimes we really wish we could relive old glory days, thinking that those were our best days. But we have to remember that the best days are still in front of us. We just have to remember that it's nice to visit the past from time to time, but those of you who live there will miss out on their future.

YOUNG ADULT is one of the best dark comedies to be released this year. Funny and yet sad, comical and sometimes painful, the film casts a mirror to those of us who are Mavis' age. This reviewer is pushing 40, but I still have hope that even though life is troubling right now, it will get better. Four out of five stars!

YOUNG ADULT is currently playing in theaters nationwide, including at the Camera Cinemas here in the South Bay. To view showtimes, visit their website at www.cameracinemas.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!