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Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, Collette Wolfe ... see more see more... , Jill Eikenberry , Richard Bekins , Mary Beth Hurt , Kate Nowlin , Jenny Dare Paulin , Rebecca Hart , Louisa Krause , Elizabeth Ward Land , Brian McElhaney , Hettienne Park , John Forest , Rightor Doyle , Brady Smith , Timothy Young , Erin Darke , Jee Young Han , Ella Rae Peck , Aleisha Allen , Matt Wilson , Orlagh Cassidy , Charles Techman , Emily Meade , Neil Hellegers , Michael Nathanson , J.K. Simmons

Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wils... read more read more...on). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn't quite gotten over high school, either. -- (C) Paramount

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51% liked it

25,329 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

173 critics

R, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Jason Reitman

Release Date: December 16, 2011

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DVD Release Date: March 13, 2012

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Stats: 2,514 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,514)

  • jlewis07
    May 29, 2012
    jlewis07
    The feel bad comedy that sometimes make you feel all icky inside afterward, but you know that you watched something that is actually trying to say something. Some people won't like how dark it is. It has funny moments, but I found it a little inappropriate to laugh at points beca... read moreuse this movie pounds you with that feeling you get when you know something just isn't right. Charlize Theron is very good and the supporting actors stand out as well. I felt very uneasy after watching this, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't just watch movies for enjoyment.
  • MrMarakai
    May 23, 2012
    MrMarakai
    Following the success of their previous collaboration "Juno", director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody reunite to bring us another slice of small-town American life. Whether or not is as good as their last outing, depends on your expectations.
    Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) i... read mores a pathological, self-absorbed bitch. She's already divorced, and dependent on alcohol as she tries to maintain her job as a ghost-writer for a failings series of adolescent books. Having received an e-mail, one day, of news of her ex-boyfriend Buddy (Patrick Wilson) becoming a new father, she heads for her home town determined to reclaim him back from his wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser) and newborn baby. Mavis will stop at nothing but ultimately, it's herself that she's harming most.
    Since her Oscar winning role in "Monster" in 2003, Charlize Theron has had a couple of notable roles but nothing she could really sink her teeth into. This, however, is the best role she's had since then. It's a character she grabs with the scruff of the neck and delivers an excellent and potent performance. Other than her though, I didn't find much else to write home about. Maybe this was because my expectations were too high.? I really enjoyed "Juno" for it's likeable characters and quirky sense of humour and I expected much of the same here but there's very little humour involved. It's actually more of a down-beat character study, dealing with failed aspirations, depression and a path of self destruction. It doesn't make for happy viewing and also doesn't shed much of a positive light on the choices the characters have made in life. To achieve happiness in life is a matter of relevance. At least, that's what I think the message was supposed to be but it could have at least had a character that embodied this. Sure, Buddy and Beth seem like a happy couple on the surface but there's a bit of ambiguity involved. Patton Oswalt delivers some light comic relief as Mavis' new friend and drinking buddy Matt but despite some lighthearted moments from him, he's also quite a tragic character. What chance have you got, when your comic-relief is even struggling in life? As I mentioned, maybe if I was prepared for the down-beat approach beforehand, I'd have settled more into this. It's not a bad film, by any means, but it is a bit sluggish and disheartening.
    I've heard this described as a 'tragi-comedy'. It's a good description but I think the emphasis is on the former rather than the latter.Theron is on excellent form and the real highlight here but the material is a little tough to swallow. It has moments of brilliance but too few to fully satisfy.
  • fb619846742
    May 12, 2012
    fb619846742
    A smart, simply put together story concerning a lonely young woman (Charlize Theron), suffering from a bad case of nostalgia, who goes back home in order to try to re-connect with her boyfriend from high school (Patrick Wilson), who is married and his wife has just had a child. W... read morehile it is often depressing, it is extremely well acted, with Theron turning in another regular monstrous performance that keeps the film interesting. Patton Oswalt, who plays a former classmate suffering with a physical ailment due to his days in high school, also turns in one of the most touching, moving performances in a supporting role I have seen in a long time. A lot has been said about writer Diablo Cody, as Family Guy summed up, "She's a no-good call girl who got lucky once! (with "Juno"), however, this film should eternally muzzle critics suggesting she and director Jason Reitman can not replicate their past successes together again. Overall, a nice little movie that goes by fast, and has a lot to say about growing up, not letting something that happened early in your life scar you during your adulthood, and how getting away from an uneasy situation is sometimes the best solution altogether.
  • fb100002359227440
    May 7, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    A moving, funny and powerful message about the prolonged adolescence, loneliness, not mutual love, depression, prejudice, handicapped people and others serious themes; Young Adult it's the best work by Diablo Cody since Juno with convincing actings by Theron and Oswalt. Fresh.
  • cosmo313
    April 19, 2012
    cosmo313
    Screenwriter Diablo Cody reunited with Juno director Jason Reitman for this dark dramedy (emphasis on drama, depsite how the ad campaign advertised it) about a down and out ghostwriter for a series of young adult novels named Mavis Gary who returns to her hometown for a homecomin... read moreg event where she tries to relive her past glory days of high school. Back then, she was the uber popular prom queen who had a strong relationship with her high school sweetie Buddy Slade. Nowadays, Buddy is happily married, and father to a newborn. Mavis, on the otherhand, is a burnt out depressed alcoholic who tries her damndest to win buddy back.

    While she's back in town Mavis ends up forming a relationship with a former classmate named Matt who she ignored completely through high school, despite have a locker right next to his. It is through her time with Matt however, that Mavis finally starts to grow up and learn how to act like an adult.

    As I mentioned, this movie was falsely advertised as seeming like a fun, witty comedy. There's some wit, and some humor, but overall, this is quite a dark little film filled with a number of really painful and awkward scenes that are pretty difficult to sit through at times. It's not always pretty, but it's quite compelling, and I love that the filmmakers had the balls to make the protagonist the least likeable character on screen. You feel bad for Mavis, but sympathizing her doesn't come easy or often.

    The film is a great character study though, and definitely got me thinking about my own real life classmates who were a lot like Mavis, and might still be trying to relive the past, even though it's a waste of time. Matt is definitely the best character, and Patton Oswalt's portrayal of him is quite excellent, making him defintely a real talent deserving of far more credit than he's gotten previously. Charlize Theron shines as Mavis, and it's great seeing her play a scuzzy misfit that's not quite as extreme as her take on Aileen Wournos.

    All in all, this is an underrated gem that deserves more attention. It sucks that it was mismarketed, and that most people weren't cool with this being as dark, ugly, and uncomfortable as it is, but I found a lot to like, and hope that Reitman and Cody make even more films like this one.
  • LitelBluHli
    April 16, 2012
    LitelBluHli
    Charlize played her character well in this dark comedy about a 30 something year old stuck in her high school days and can't seem to move on from what she found to be the best times in her life. It was sad to see how someone who seems to have what most people would envy, not happ... read morey within themselves. It was somewhat refreshing though for me to watch this film and have some sort of hope that there can be happiness once you go through all the rough patches.
  • itsjustme2004
    April 11, 2012
    itsjustme2004
    Charlize is very good here, unafraid to show Mavis as the unpleasant person she is. While that is commendable, it does not add up to a completely enjoyable viewing experience. Patton Oswalt matches her fine performance as another emotionally stunted person, and you feel for him ... read moremore than her. I think this movie had potential, but really fell through at the end, at least for me. Maybe I wanted to feel bad for her, or hate her, or witness her revelations, but I just felt nothing....other than good riddance,
  • blacksheepboy
    April 10, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    Charlize Theron is perfect once again after shining as Aileen Wuornos in Monster, making it easy for us to feel sympathy for a character that is so immature and selfish - thanks also to Diablo Cody, who wrote a smart script and really knows how to blend dark humor and bitterness.
  • jjnxn
    March 31, 2012
    jjnxn
    Charlize is very good here unafraid to show Mavis as the unpleasant person she is and while that is commendable it does not add up to an enjoyable viewing experience. Patton Oswalt matches her fine performance as another emotional stunted person and you feel for him more than her... read more but for me even with the small glimmer of hope allowed at the end this was a one time view.
  • fb733768972
    March 30, 2012
    fb733768972
    In this bittersweet devotion feature, Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, an underachieving writer who's career is about to go down the toilet. As she receives an email from an old high school lover, she sees that he is happily married with a new born baby. Her mission, while tryin... read moreg to finish her last book in a series that is about to fail, is to rip her old boyfriends life apart and make him fall in love with her all over again. This is definitely one of the best filmed and edited films of 2011 and I must say that it is gripping throughout. Every scene that involves the trio of her, her ex-boyfriend and his wife is gut-wrenching. I was clenching my fists while I hoped for the best outcome there could be. Patton Oswalt's character is also magnificent, as is the rest of the casts performances. He plays a "fat" man who has been brutally beat up and bullied throughout high school and is know becoming Mavis' best friend. I absolutely loved the storytelling structure here, but it felt like everything may have went by a little too fast. Overall, a very impressive film about changing your life.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
March 23, 2012
Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman have still managed to get at a fundamental truth that screenplays traditionally ignore. People don't change. Character "arc" is one of those myths that movies perpetuate. Full Review

Tom Long
December 16, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

Young Adult may be the year's most engaging feel-bad movie. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
December 16, 2011
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

There's little about Mavis that makes for feel-good revelry. That's an understatement, perhaps. Yet, Theron's work feels true to Mavis' malaise -- and often, just as sad. Full Review

Peter Howell
December 16, 2011
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

As good as Theron and Oswalt are, and they're very good, Young Adult doesn't give them enough room to breathe. Full Review

Liam Lacey
December 16, 2011
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A low-key, indie-style comedy that plays precariously close to an unfunny sociopathic case study. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
December 16, 2011
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

There's enough grit in the film's gears to keep the forward motion from ever getting too smooth. Full Review

Chris Vognar
December 15, 2011
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

The comedy of discomfort, so long defined by Curb Your Enthusiasm and its ilk, gets a new hue with Young Adult. Full Review

Steven Rea
December 15, 2011
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Theron is thrillingly nasty as Mavis. Full Review

Wesley Morris
December 15, 2011
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

The movie doesn't weigh that much, but it has a kind of point-blank piquancy that has gradually seeped out of American comedies, which now are mostly going for broad, topical gags that rarely venture ... Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
December 15, 2011
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Reitman makes bold choices with the story. Not all are fun to watch in the moment, but they add up to a satisfying portrait of a woman off the rails, someone we can laugh at even when we're horrified. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Mavis Gary: Guys like me are born loving women like you.
    • Mavis Gary: I'm crazy. And no one loves me.
    • Hedda Gary: That new baby of his is just darling.
    • Mavis Gary: Have you seen it? Up close?
    • Matt Freehauf: Your a piece of work.
    • Mavis Gary: Your a piece of shit.
    • Mavis Gary: I don't know about him... his face is doughy, like a murderer.
    • Matt Freehauf: Mavis Gary? I think we went to high school together.
    • Mavis Gary: At the same time?
Submit a Fact | View All

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Young Adult Trivia

  • who played gerad (the goblin king) in labrinth, and the young boy in the snowman as an adult   Answer »
  • In what Australian film did Mel Gibson play a mentally challenged young adult in love with an older woman?  Answer »
  • Just got this... who did the voice of simba in the lion king? You Chose: Matthew Broderick (Incorrect - 0 pts) Correct Answer: Jonathan Taylor Thomas Matthew Broderick was the voice of adult Simba, Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the voice of young Simba. Be more specific people!!!  Answer »
  • Just got this one - "who did the voice of simba in the lion king?" And it was a 'Search'. Um...there were TWO actors that did the voice of Simba. Jonathan Taylor Thomas (The correct answer for the questions) was YOUNG Simba, Matthew Broderick was Adult Simba.  Answer »
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