A Masterpiece!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Charlize Theron has never been better as Mavis Gary, a depressed alcoholic ghost writer of a young adult book series who finds her career opportunities drying up as the end of the series draws near. To make matters worse, she receives word that, Buddy, her former flame, has invited her to a baby shower for his newborn child. Thinking this is a cry for help, Mavis heads back home to rescue Buddy from a world of suburban anguish.You can't help but feel bad for Mavis and she gets herself into cringe-worthy scene after scene. It's a testament to Theron's gifts as an actress that we should care about this destructive monster one iota. Theron, with writer Diablo Cody, creates a monster so real, so raw, and so vulnerable that you won't be able to stop thinking about her for weeks afterwards.Also excellent is Patton Oswald as Matt, a former classmate of Mavis, who was beaten up for being gay (he wasn't) and now has to walk with braces. In many ways, Matt is the eyes of the audience - drawn to a revolted by Mavis at the same time.The ending does away with typical morality and lessons found in Hollywood films and is all the better for it. Some people never will change.Young Adult is a fresh, funny, disturbing, and raw comedy that's sure to become a cult favorite in the years to come.

Depressed upon discovering that her former high school beau is happily married with an infant daughter, a young adult fiction writer sets out to win her old boyfriend back in this dark comedy from Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody. For a film marketed as a comedy, the laughs are few and far between, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as 'Young Aduilt' challenges one to think about whether what the authoress is going through is humorous, sad, pathetic, absurd or all of the above. Given how despicable her character is (wanting to tear apart a happy marriage; constantly dismissing an injured former classmate), Charlize Theron miraculously comes off as sympathetic the whole way through. It takes some suspension of disbelief to accept that she really does think that her plan will work, but Theron is always convincing in her quiet scenes and her growing sense of longing and regret is easy to relate to. What also works quite well is how Theron realises for the first time on her quest that the popularity of her book series is truly declining. Her world seems to be coming apart at the seams, and there is also a lot to like in how she uses her quest as fuel for penning her final novel at the same time. The book series is what she has used in order to delude herself into believing that she is still young, and with it on the decline, she finally has to grow up. 'Young Adult' is really a very apt title for the film in this regard. Patton Oswalt delivers has a solid supporting turn here too, but this is Theron's film the whole way as she renders her sour character with a nefarious plan utterly human.

For once Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, director and writer, respectively, whose previous offerings were the great Juno and Up in the Air, miss the mark. The movie starts well, and has a similar bitter-sweet comedy-drama feel as Juno and Up in the Air. However, from a point it loses direction and ultimately just fizzles out.Charlize Theron gives a solid performance in the lead role. Her character's personality is a bit flaky and irrational, and sometimes hard to believe could possibly exist, and she does a great job in making the character believable. Good support from Patton Oswalt and Patrick Wilson.

Charlize Theron was very good in this. The movie itself is quirky, weird and darkly funny. One of those feel-bad movies. with a nothing sort of story that follows a (YA) author who returns to her hometown to try and relive her glory days and seduce her happily married ex. Along the way she (drinks heavily) and forms an unusual friendship with a former classmate who hasn't quite gotten over high school either.This has been simply filmed, showing raw honesty on the part of 'Mavis', and Theron is excellent, fascinating and almost excruciating at times to watch as she goes about sabotaging her life. This is a woman in pain. Patton Oswalt also puts in a touching performance. I was left a bit worried about that dog though. 11/18/15