Review of The Spectacular Now (2013) by Nelson D — 18 Apr 2014

***1/2 (out of 4).

Wow, its been a full month since my last review. I've just been so busy. But thankfully, not that I'm free, I can talk about one of the more low key films of the year: The Spectacular Now.

The story follows Sutter, played by Miles Teller. He is the class clown at his small town high school. He drinks, he parties, he flirts with woman until his hot girlfriend dumps him. He is basically an ass. He is wasting his last year in high school away and probably his life as well. That is until, after passing out drunk on someones yard, he meets a young girl named Aimee, played by Shailene Woodley. She is a bit of a social outcast, but after growing closer to one another they start to form a romance. But his lack of an commitment and her lack of any experience gradually begins to split them apart. She is dedicated, pretty, and hard working, while he is an alcoholic, lazy, and self centered.

Of all he films that have come out about high school in the last year, this is probably the most accurate. I enjoyed the Perks of Being Wallflower , but I don't think its up to this level. There are no bullies, There is no villain. The characters aren't fully defined by any one clique or group. It felt more honest, and the drama steamed from the faults of our main charters. While the supporting actors do very well, especially Kyle Chantler. But this is Miller's and Woodley's movie. They own this movie.

The scene where they just talk briefly at the party, alone felt so real I could barely tell the dialog was mostly improvised. They talk about their life and hobbies and Sutter tells her that he and everyone else thinks she is beautiful. She, being shy and introverted, laughs nervously and denies it. If you've met any girl, or guy for that matter, like that, that is the exact reaction they would have. Then they kiss. That was when the movie hooked me. It was one of the more realistic moments I've seen in a long time. Even Breakfast Club, a movie I love, wasn't this accurate.

Another great scene is the one where Sutter's ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend comes to fight him, thinking that she is cheating on him. He wasn't but he's been noticing that they have been spending a lot of time together. In any other movie, you would expect him to just beat Sutter up. But instead Sutter talks him down, and the guy asks him how to open up to here. Despite being handsome, smart, and the school quarterback, he lacks the humor that Sutter does. And he feels that its driving a wedge between the two of them. I know its a minor scene, but it was so well written I couldn't help but love it.

The last third of the film, is a little more conventional, and I dare say a little too melodramatic. Still well acted, but it comes at the expense of the realism that it was building. And while the ending is good, I thought it was a little too reminiscent of Good Will Hunting. Still, its the chemistry of the two leads and the focus of realism that make this film worth watching.