The film countdown that should have been completed months ago returns! I think at the beginning of this fun I mentioned how there were some non-epic character-based dramas that resonated, and this is one of them. I couldn't help but compare this to Juno, which won an Oscar for screenwriter Diablo Cody, who also wrote this film. As sweet as Juno was... the rumblings in my head and among some critics were that as naturalistic as the dialogue was, teenagers didn't really talk like that. For me, the move was a little bit of a cop out, to give an eccentric larger-than-life character her own little sayings and "isms"... there was something warm and heartening about what Juno went through, but how is it original or challenging to layer on an adult sensibility to a juvenile character?
So I assumed after watching Young Adult that it would at least receive a screenwriting NOMINATION, because these characters talked in really authentic ways that fit in well and organically with the situation. In addition, I was sure Charlize Theron was going to get at least an acting nomination as well. She didn't have to get into layers of old-person makeup like in Monster to pull off a complete performance of a defeated woman. But nothing for this sweet sad movie? No matter... I don't need that kind of validation. While it didn't get a lot of legitimate acclaim (and some of my facebook friends hated it too) the film has stuck with me. So many great movies and filmmakers are very derivative... they are basically perfecting a genre movie and subverting it in a way that hits a sweet spot for me... and those are usually the ones I really like by the end of the year. So I long for chances to give equal credit to the movies that have real characters, real performances, and believable situations, executed with the appropriate cinematic scope (minimal works just as much as maximal) that is suitable for the well-written material. It's not a film that explodes... it percolates... but it was always engaging. Of course, throwing Patton Oswalt in for good measure is a huge bonus, especially when this goofball gives his all to a dramatic role that you knew he was capable of.
This isn't the last of the character dramas that were really good last year. I don't think I've spoiled anything yet.
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