Review of The Spectacular Now (2013) by Feminympho — 17 Aug 2013

Some of the best acting I have seen in a movie in a long, long time--definitely the best acting I have seen this year. The writing is good, but Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley (particularly Woodley) are so astounding that the characters lift the movie out of what could have been just-another-high-school-movie obscurity. By the end of the film, I was sobbing out of sheer love for these kids, sad to see them go and nostalgic for lovers and friends in high school and college that I recognized. And I'm not exaggerating--I really felt like I knew these people, which is an incredible feat considering I only knew them for only 90 minutes. They are not archetypes. They are not caricatures. These are real high school seniors.

This movie is truly beautiful. It's a great start to Oscar bid season, and let's just say that I'd have to see MANY more earth-shaking performances from women this year in order to be convinced that Shailene Woodley (at the very least) did not deserve a nod. When I found out that she was also starring in the film adaptation of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, I jumped for joy. After seeing The Spectacular Now, I was convinced that she was the only actress who could do justice to the role of Hazel.

Teller, Woodley, and Ponsoldt (director) are all going places, that's for sure. Or at least they better be.