YOUNG ADULT

YOUNG ADULT--Directed by Jason Reitman/ Starring Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt/ written by Diablo Cody/rated R/1hr59min

Bifocal Reviews by Barbara & Gordon Rich


(B) When I left this movie one performance stood out. That was Patton Oswalt, who most of you might remember as a secondary character on the T.V. hit show, KING OF QUEENS. That is especially significant since Charlize Theron’s performance is one of her many artful ones. My comments do not diminish her presence on the screen, but I didn’t find her role particularly difficult. Therefore, I thought her job was adequate. Oswalt on the other hand, was very convincing under challenging circumstances. The movie to me was just O.K. The plot is thin and I don’t have that much to say about the story that you probably don’t already know from the trailers. I give it a 2 and ½ binoculars.

(G) I too think Oswalt was perfect for this role and he handled it very adeptly. Charlize is affable and vulnerable and I’m sure her character reminded every audience member of themself, or some other person that they know (wink,wink). However, I didn’t get the feeling that this was a completely polished product, in the end. I’m beginning to think that Diablo Cody is trying too hard to make her scripts plot-less and she is too reliant on situations rather than real character depth. There was a forced, reality t.v. show air, or a YouTube blog quality about the film that left me feeling a bit cheated. It was also too long a film for what it was trying to accomplish. Even though Oswalt’s performance (and I have to admit, the character that Cody drew for him to perform) was compelling, 2 and ½ binoculars seems a fair evaluation.