MovieChat Forums > Young Adult (2011) Discussion > This is not a good movie.

This is not a good movie.

posted 13 years ago by ur_girl_my_guy
32 replies | jump to latest

It is nowhere near.

How are critics rating this good? Because it has a non-conventional ending? That makes it worthy of praise? NO. This is the biggest peice of *beep* to come out of the cinema in a while. Unfortunately, in modern times, there's more and more of these *beep* films making an appearance. When this script was written and handed in by Cody, it should have been shredded right there and then.

You want a good film? Here's some:
To Kill A Mockingbird
Changeling
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Some Like It Hot

This is so terrible, i laugh at the prospect of it recieving good reviews. What's to like? It's trash, there's no real quality to it at ALL.
Firstly, the main girl. I can't even remember the name of the characters, they're so unforgettable and horrid. But Theron's character was dreadful, so unlikable, and i don't care if "that's how it was supposed to be." No, it's too much of a risk to make your main character unlikeable. Very few people can get away with it, you have to place them in the right situation, and Cody does not. She fails completely with this.
Secondly, Cody needs to go and read the conventional arc of storytelling all over again before she makes another movie. The guy that Theron wanted to be with, he was a one-dimensional character who i didn't give a hoot about. The guy that liked her, the one that was her companion throughout the flick, the cripped guy - he was as bland as a doorknob. He was clearly there just to provide some sense of humanity to the story, to be the somewhat-twisted but moral compass, but it didn't work. The baby naming party or whatever the hell it was, was a complete and total anti-climax. "*beep* YOU," She screams, "*beep* YOU!" Yeah, that's GREAT writing right there.
There was so many stupid, stupid moments. And the ONE possibly redeeming aspect was the cripple guy; if they had purely remained platonic but LEARNED something from him, then i would have actually given it some credit. But because she got rejected, she goes and initates sex with him. UGH. I thought you were going for unoriginal, Cody? CLICHE ALERT.

Then wtf was the end? The dude's sister as a 2 min chat to her, Theron acts like a bitch to her before walking out and leaving, finishing her last chapter. Which was lame as all hell.

So, wait. Her and the cripple guy. No redeemption. No closing between them. Nothing. She wakes up and leaves.

Her and her parents. Major WTF.

Her and Beth and the guy. Nothing. Party is the last time she sees them.

WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT THIS FLICK?! SOMEONE TELL ME?

We're not watching a reality show, we're watching a MOVIE. Either give us a refreshing ending, or a somewhat happy or (if sad) justified one, otherwise get lost. If i had actually spent money on this, I would have been furious. Luckily i watched it at a friend's place.

It's not realistic, it's just plain silly. No character is likeable, there is no quality to them, there is no conclusion to any of their stories. It ends where it starts. Characters need to learn, to evolve, even somewhat. She doesn't.

It's a horrible, horrible movie. I sat there, after the credits, wondering how the hell this got past pre-production. This has to be a joke.

[–] Waldimore 12 years ago

To the OP: it's alright if you didn't like the film. To each her own.

I thought it was an excellent movie about a fading beauty, who had enjoyed all the power and privileges that youth and beauty afforded her, especially during high school, who was now facing a crisis of reality, aka, the aging process.

Newsflash: there are people like this. In truth, Breakfast at Tiffany's Holly GoLightly was like this, just from a different era. Capote's character captured the sophistication of cosmopolitan NYC living seen from the view of a party girl in the pre-sexual, pre-woman's movement era. (You do realize that Holly was a 'call girl', aka prostitute? And that movie actually romanicized and fantasized that lifestyle because, in reality, it is ugly. Do you also realize that the Paul character was a male prostitue/gigolo, too? It was a movie in the Hollywood genre like Pretty Woman.)

You prefer this genre. Hollywood fantasy. Life wrapped up in pretty cellophane with the warts and moles diffused and hidden from view. Again, it's alright. I enjoy movies like this, too. They're entertaining.

But Young Adult is more on the order of reality slice of life, tenderized enough to make it palatable. Mavis is a character that is very prevalent among today's young women. The movie's good critical reviews are because of that. Mavis was unlikeable, but in the real world, pretty women who are in actuality, unlikeable, are often forgiven because of their beauty. That is until they age out of beauty, which Mavis is on the doorstep of. Hence her sudden obsession and delusional determination to steal her high school boyfriend from his wife. She needs to feel empowered by her beauty again the way she felt when she believed she was at her 'best.'

In truth, Mavis, as was explained by Matt, was never that. She was merely a vain, contemptuous, self-centered, egoistic girl. Who grew into a slovenly, arrogant, delusional, vain middle-aged woman with very piggish habits. Even as she tried to maintain the aura of beauty with spa treatments, like facials, manicures and pedicures. On a daily basis, Mavis was a pig, a slob.

If the other characters seemed one-dimensional, maybe it's because they were just plain folks in a small town, which is why Mavis escaped. But other than that, there was nothing really wrong with them. Mavis was the problem.

Take her parents, why did she hold them in such contempt? There was nothing wrong with them. They seemed like just plain folk. They didn't harrass her or were not over-bearing with her. They just loved their daughter the same way most parents do. They wanted here to be happy, but realized their powerlessness to give her happiness, so they left her alone. That her mother had to track her down after finding out she was in town, pretty much described who Mavis is.

A movie like this, without the excessive Hollywood gloss, gives the viewer an opportunity for self-reflection. Something Mavis desperately needed and avoided at all costs, like when Sandra, Mavis' avid fan helped her to sidestep her transformation moment.

Isn't that what a lot of us do? Rather than change and confront our shortcomings, change our point-of-view, even when facing total chaos and crisis in our lives, we delude ourselves and blame others and society in general. I think it was this quality that has critics and some of us giving it props.

And no, it's not a masterpiece. But it certainly is a damn fine movie.

[–] ColinInLa 12 years ago

I thought it was an interesting premise whose promise was left largely unfulfilled. The party scene was the height of awkward screenplay dialogue It seemed very contrived, just not at all a believable situation. .right down to the party guests simply standing there and allowing it to drag on. The self-delusion of the main character was over-the-top and, ultimately for me, rang hollow.
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"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

[–] TwoFourFixate 12 years ago

Hi, Waldimore,

Thank you for your very insightful and articulate thoughts about Young Adult—I couldn't agree with you more. It's clear that all of your senses are open and that you pay close attention to what is around you.

I really enjoyed this film—it's easily one of my favorite films of the last couple of years.

Also, I very much enjoyed—and learned a lot from—the commentary by the director (Jason Reitman) and the associate producer (Jason Blumenfeld).

Think I'll watch this film again tonight.

In peace,

Eddie G

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] TSGarp22 12 years ago

Woooshhh!!!.......

1.Mad Men 2.The Wire 3.GoT 4.BlackAdder 5.Seinfeld 6.Yes Minister 7.FNL 8.Friends 9.SNL 10.3rd Rock

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] osubuckeye420 11 years ago

To the OP (who is probably long gone)...

You say that it's not realistic, but, your reasons for it being unrealistic are:

1) No happy/refreshing ending
2) No likeable characters
3) No quality to characters
4) No conclusion to their stories
5) Characters don't evolve

What kind of world are you living in, in which everyone around you (even ex girlfriends popping into town that you haven't seen for years) constantly evolve, have refreshing endings to every task they undertake, and are likeable?

If that's your version of reality, why even bother coming on the forums? Seems like everything is already perfect.

[–] liscarkat (18589) 4 years ago

This is a good movie. It succeeds perfectly at showing what it sets out to show: the tragedy of a narcissistic loser who will never be able to change.

[–] Kowalski (76274) 4 years ago

YES,IT IS.🙂