I give Young Adult 3 stars out of 4. Charlize is the reason. If any other actress were carrying the lead it would be a bore, but Theron is magnetic. Her reactions carry the whole story. I couldn’t stop looking at her. It’s more than her physical beauty, her comedic timing is subtle yet spot on and her vulnerability makes her lovable in a role of an alcoholic, bratty, ex-prom queen—the kind of narcissist you’d love to hate if she wasn’t so pitiable.
I had expected a comedy. My usual fare of choice is dark, dark, thrillers so I figured lighthearted would be novel but the glumness of this poor woman’s life gave me an unexpected emotional investment. Comedy is a constant thread but so are despair and disappointments.
The first half of the movie is a throw-your-head-back laugher with sad undertones but the second half is a tragedy with comedic undertones.
Young Adult is a great date movie or go with pals but if you’re feeling low about life and pining a long lost love, go with somebody, don’t go alone—not now, around the holidays. The ending isn’t tied up with a bow, but you won’t want to kill yourself either.
So go, and tell me what you think.
Young Adult was written by Diablo Cody (Juno) and directed by Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno).