The Spectacular Now is a "coming of age" tale about a young man with absolutely no desire to come of age. And it's one of the best films of 2013.
Sutter Keely is a high school senior (and very likely an alcoholic) who prides himself on being the life of the party. When his "perfect" girlfriend dumps him, Sutter throws himself even more into is philosophy of living in the now. Eventually, he meets Aimee, a sweet and quiet girl from his school. A romance develops and as graduation looms, Sutter's past and future begin to interfere with his living in the now.
The leads in The Spectacular Now are incredible. Miles Teller plays Sutter, and he is an actor that could be really great. I do worry that his stuttering, naturalistic acting style is all he has, which is fine as he's a fun actor to watch, but he seems to have a limited range in his films so far. The real standout is Shailene Woodley. She is perfect in this movie. I hated her character in The Decendents (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), but I didn't realize how good she was until I saw her turn as the heart-breakingly sweet Aimee Finecky.
Director James Ponsoldt has a way of finding beauty in alcoholism. Not in a way that glamorizes it though. He's able to capture the loopy joys of intoxication and then juxtapose it with the terrible consequences. His previous film, Smashed, is entirely about alcoholics. I hope he gets away from that in whatever film he puts out next, but the guy handles the subject very well. He also has an impeccable eye in The Spectacular Now. Ponsoldt filmed the movie in his hometown of Athens, Georgia and the movie plays as sort of love letter to the place. It's a beautiful movie.
It's a magnificent film. I was constant worried about the pain that Sutter could cause Aimee and rooting so hard for Sutter to get his act together. These characters are so endearing and relatable that it's hard to not get swept up in their story. I fell in love with this movie.
8.5 out of 10
Sutter Keely is a high school senior (and very likely an alcoholic) who prides himself on being the life of the party. When his "perfect" girlfriend dumps him, Sutter throws himself even more into is philosophy of living in the now. Eventually, he meets Aimee, a sweet and quiet girl from his school. A romance develops and as graduation looms, Sutter's past and future begin to interfere with his living in the now.
The leads in The Spectacular Now are incredible. Miles Teller plays Sutter, and he is an actor that could be really great. I do worry that his stuttering, naturalistic acting style is all he has, which is fine as he's a fun actor to watch, but he seems to have a limited range in his films so far. The real standout is Shailene Woodley. She is perfect in this movie. I hated her character in The Decendents (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), but I didn't realize how good she was until I saw her turn as the heart-breakingly sweet Aimee Finecky.
Director James Ponsoldt has a way of finding beauty in alcoholism. Not in a way that glamorizes it though. He's able to capture the loopy joys of intoxication and then juxtapose it with the terrible consequences. His previous film, Smashed, is entirely about alcoholics. I hope he gets away from that in whatever film he puts out next, but the guy handles the subject very well. He also has an impeccable eye in The Spectacular Now. Ponsoldt filmed the movie in his hometown of Athens, Georgia and the movie plays as sort of love letter to the place. It's a beautiful movie.
It's a magnificent film. I was constant worried about the pain that Sutter could cause Aimee and rooting so hard for Sutter to get his act together. These characters are so endearing and relatable that it's hard to not get swept up in their story. I fell in love with this movie.
8.5 out of 10
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