Review of Young Adult (2011) by Julia L — 25 Jul 2012

Surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I'm not Diablo Cody's biggest fan but I thought she was genuinely attempting to address some of the issues people have with her writing. Like her, Mavis (Theron) is obsessed with high school and her former glory.

Nearly forty, she ghost writes a series of young adult books. When she receives a birth announcement from her high school boyfriend, she heads home to take him away from his "prison" of happy marriage.

Theron is very good as Mavis, oscillating between burnt out, depressed, drunken reality and the confident, together adult that she is her masquerade. She's seen clearly as mentally disturbed and wildly of base when it comes to her ex-boyfriend.

As an audience we know nothing's ever going to come of it, which is actually refreshing as it doesn't force a romantic storyline where it could never fit. The end is far to abrupt and, given the tone of the rest of the film, happy, to be taken seriously but Theron and co-star Patton Oswald (as a loner from high school whom she ends up spending a lot of time with) are both superb.