Review of The Spectacular Now (2013) by Marco S — 12 Jan 2014

What we have here is a non-traditional high school romantic dramedy. That might sound like a mouthful, but it's a pleasant break from the usual high school coming-of-age films we've seen in the past. Mostly focused on one character, Miles Teller takes on the role of Sutter Keely, the life of the party yet unfocused 18-year-old who boozes too much for someone his age. Other than being young and stupid, there's no real reason for how much this kid drinks throughout the film. Then you have Shailene Woodley as Aimee Finecky, the love interest after a breakup who starts out as the rebound but turns into the new girl friend.

I was way more interested in the personal story of Teller's character that centered around him growing into an adult and figuring out who his father was rather than his relationship with Woodley's character. Their relationship wasn't bad; it just felt rushed in the scheme without much of an idea of how much time was passing in the film.

Even though it's the popular guy who falls in love with the girl nobody knows, we get more of a realistic and honest version of that thread than some of our late favorite flicks that lean more heavily on the comedy.

Kyle Chandler was a great surprise in the flick for the role he played. Nothing competes with that Texas twang! Somehow Mary Elizabeth Wanstead keeps popping up in these movies I keep watching and Brie Larson is allowed a few OK lines of dialogue.

What should strike you into watching this movie is the believability the characters show on whether you relate to the type of people they are or the lives they live.