Young Adult follows the story of Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron), ghostwriter of the young adult teen series, Waverly Prep. Whether Mavis is not talking to her publisher or watching E!, her life seems like it’s going nowhere until she gets a surprise email from a former flame, causing her to ponder whether she still has a chance with him.
On a whim, she decides to go to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota to visit Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson). She realizes that nothing has changed there, whether it involves going to KFC or Pizza Hut to grab some food, which by the way she eats a lot of in the movie. On a night out to the bar, she meets Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt), whom she remembers as the “Hate Crime Guy.” He was never gay, by the way.
After Mavis and Matt have a few drinks, Mavis spills the beans about going to Buddy’s house and trying to win him back. Matt tells her that he’s in a happy place now with his wife and baby. After many close attempts with Buddy, it’s clear to Mavis that he’s with the woman who makes his life complete — his wife.
After a huge mess-up at the baby’s naming ceremony, Mavis goes back to Matt’s house, and they cuddle on Matt’s bed. In the end, Mavis knows that whatever happiness she has lies within herself, no matter what anybody else thinks. So she packs up her bags and heads home to live the life she’s supposed to be living.
Jason Reitman, who directed and produced [amazon_link id=”B005FITIK0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Young Adult[/amazon_link], has helmed the films Juno and Up in the Air (one of my all-time favorites), as well as the upcoming Labor Day. He’s the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed such classics as Stripes, Meatballs and Ghostbusters. Jason grew up in Canada admiring his dad’s movies and wanting to follow in his footsteps. He went on to major in creative writing at USC, and his first film, Thank You For Smoking, starred Aaron Eckhart and Katie Holmes.
Writer/producer Diablo Cody has had a whirlwind few years. She not only won an Academy Award for best screenplay for Juno, but she’s also the go-to writer at the moment. Cody, whose real name is Brook Busey, went into Media Studies at the University of Iowa. She began writing for the weekly newspaper City Pages, and went on to pen her memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper. A producer read her book and tapped her to write a screenplay, which would become Juno. Cody went on to write such films as Jennifer’s Body and the upcoming Sweet Valley High, as well as the Showtime series, [amazon_link id=”B00511N7DK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]United States of Tara[/amazon_link].
Young Adult is rated R for language. The only bonus features on the DVD include commentaries by the filmmakers.
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