Young Adult (2011)

Soon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter.

Director:

Jason Reitman

Writer:

Diablo Cody

Stars:

Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlize Theron	...	Mavis Gary
Patton Oswalt	...	Matt Freehauf
Patrick Wilson	...	Buddy Slade
Elizabeth Reaser	...	Beth Slade
Collette Wolfe	...	Sandra Freehauf
Jill Eikenberry	...	Hedda Gary
Richard Bekins	...	David Gary
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Jan
Kate Nowlin	...	Mary Ellen Trantowski
Jenny Dare Paulin	...	Nipple Confusion Bassist
Rebecca Hart	...	Nipple Confusion Guitarist
Louisa Krause	...	Front Desk Girl
Elizabeth Ward Land	...	Sales Lady
Brian McElhaney	...	Book Associate
Hettienne Park	...	Vicki

Storyline

Mavis Gary, once the high school 'It Girl', now an alcoholic divorcée who writes a soon to be canceled young adult fiction series, makes the decision to return to her childhood home in Minnesota. There she embarks on a plan to win back her former sweetheart, Buddy. The fact that Buddy is now married with a baby doesn't dissuade her. Along the way, she forms a bond with Matt Freehauf, another former classmate, who has been left disabled by a beating he took from a bunch of jocks.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | minnesota | classmate | alcoholic | baby | 

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Taglines:

Everyone gets old. Not everyone grows up

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adultos jóvenes

Filming Locations:

JC Studios, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$310,263 (USA) (9 December 2011)

Gross:

$16,300,302 (USA) (17 February 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Denver and Delilah Productions, Indian Paintbrush

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On October 18, 2011, George Stroumboulopoulos, along with director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody, hosted the first public screening/"sneak peek" of the film at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. The screening was followed by a brief Q&A session for attendees with Reitman and Cody. The screening was promoted as a secret with nothing about the film revealed. Comedic trailers also played on The Hour.

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Goofs

Mavis orders a Maker's Mark and then gulps down 2/3, then when she goes to drink again, the glass is full again. However, Mavis pours more of the Maker's Mark into the glass and finishes it, she then proceeds to grab an already poured full glass of wine from the table.

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Quotes

Mavis Gary: Hey, do you know this girl named Beth? She married Buddy Slade from school.
Sandra Freehauf: Yeah, I know that Beth.
Mavis Gary: What do you think of her?
Sandra Freehauf: I don't really like her. I mean, I think you're way prettier than she is. What happened to your dress? I'm sorry, did I say something wrong? Shit. What's wrong? What did I say?
Mavis Gary: I have a lot of problems.
Sandra Freehauf: Can't you get a new dress?
Mavis Gary: It's really difficult for me to be happy. And then for other people it just seems so simple. I know. They just grow up and they're so fulfilled...
Sandra Freehauf:
Mavis Gary:
Sandra Freehauf:
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.22 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Picture On The Wall"
Written by Freddie McKay
Performed by The Lions
Courtesy of Stones Throw Records, LLC

User Reviews

Embracing The Reality And Letting Go Of The Past

Young Adult is Diablo Cody's latest utterly refreshing attempt on the life of a once-famous high school queen who was facing challenges in her life. The renowned writer of Juno is making a entirely different attempt here by depicting a mid-life crisis of Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) and her return visit to her hometown where she lived when she was a teenager.

Mavis hated the town, hated everything about it, hated all the people in it, that was, except Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), who used to be her boyfriend. It didn't take her long to decide that she would return and rescue Buddy who she thought was a hostage in the deadly town with his marriage and newborn daughter. She would save herself from the disappointment from her life, save Buddy from the living hell, and picked up where things ended, once and for all.

And well, you expected it. Things were not as simple as that; they never are. So get ready for the adventure in this visit and get ready to know our Mavis better.

Charlize Theron totally manipulated the role of Mavis, letting the audience get to know who Mavis Gary really was as the events continued to unfold. It was a solid, realistic and Oscar-worthy performance that blew the audience away.

Young Adult is about life, about the past and the present, about why people are easily stuck in the past and do not see a future ahead of them. This is about why we should accept the present and look forward instead of always looking back. It is also more of a drama than a comedy but still it did give me some laughs.