Young Adult: Deep and Depressing Reality

I did not want to see this movie after watching the previews. I did after reading the reviews. Turns out the actual film is somewhere in-between the rants and the raves, in that it is not so much a dark comedy as it is just, well, dark. My friend and I were sorely disappointed that we didn’t laugh at all, just covered our faces in embarrassment for the pathetic sole that is Charlez Theron’s character, Mavin. 

It’s true that this is probably pretty true to life. Very realistic in the fact that some people move away from small towns and are miserable, and others stay and are happy. It’s also true that most of the time, in life, we don’t learn the lessons. We do stupid things, and we continue to do stupid things just because.

The costuming was brilliantly juvinille. I loved that she sported oversized glasses, ratty bun hair and a hello kitty t-shirt with plad pj bottoms most of the time. Very teenage-ish.

The big mistake that was  her age. 37? Really? No one would be that out of control at 37, I’m sorry you just blew it. I think if they had taken ten years off the character I would have been more likely to say “ya, totally.” 

I’m torn about the relationship between Mavin and the loser from high school who bonds with her over their completely selfish and pathetic lifes. It was fine, platonic but cute because they were kindred spirits, until (spoiler alert) they slept together. This ruined the one story line that I actually liked, leaving me feeling hopeless and pissed.

But I guess that was the point of the movie. Life is messy, and most of the time you do something stupid that ruins the good in it. 

Still, I would rather see a happy ending which is why this one fell flat. 

HappyThankYouMorePlease: Exactly right.

Josh Radnor has stolen my heart, and just in time too because his character on How I Met Your Mother is getting a little dull. This movie, written, directed and starred in, by the sitcom celeb, makes me proud to know that there are still indie films that are true to their title. HappyThankYouMorePlease got it right.

There are four main plots, that are somewhat woven together, but also relatively separate. The genius is that they are all about people on the cusp of becoming great, and being loved, and the things that stand in their way.

Sam is a lost, mediocre writer who self-admittedly is “afraid of success,” and love. In a strange string of events, he decides to take responsibility for kid who gets separated from his family on the subway. The child, Rasheen, attaches to Sam because after being shuffled from family to family in foster care, he for some reason feels more comfortable with a stranger than in “the system.” Soon after, he makes a strange deal with a bartender to have her live with him for three days (in order to avoid the inevitable one night stand scenario).

His best friend Annie, played by Malin Akerman, is obsessed with beauty, and trapped by her alopecia. When she is pursued by a guy she deems “less than beautiful,” she immediately blows him off, taking her the remainder of the movie to realize that beauty really is more than just skin deep. In a their final scene, he has her close her eyes and just listen to him and, for once, she really hear how amazing he is, transforming his whole image instantly.  

Sam’s cousin, Mary, is madly in love with her boyfriend but is deeply afraid of commitment. Coming from a “long line of divorced people,” she doesn’t believe that relationships can last and therefore pushes her boyfriend away every chance that she gets.

Noteworthy: The writing is relatively impressive, and stays true to providing the audience with the “indie wisdom” that we have come to expect. “Go out and get yourself loved.” If that is not awesome for its obvious bluntness, I don’t know what is.

Sidenote: If you like this, stay tuned for Liberal Arts, also directed by Randor, starting Zac Efron and Elizabeth Olsen.