Check This One Out! - The
Spectacular Now
Sutter: "The best thing about now, is that there's
another one tomorrow."
"The Spectacular Now" is
directed by James Ponsoldt ("The
End of the Tour", "Smashed") and stars Miles Teller as Sutter,
Shailene Woodley as Aimee, Brie Larson as Cassidy, Jennifer Jason Leigh as
Sara, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Holly, Nicci Faires as Tara, Masam Holden as
Ricky, Dayo Okeniyi as Marcus, Kyle Chandler as Tommy, and Bob Odenkirk as Dan.
Senior year in high school has hit our
protagonist Sutter in the face with a big bang after a party after his
alcoholic binge: waking up on shy Aimee's front lawn. As the charming and laid
back senior, he develops a friendship with her that blossoms into a romance.
Indirectly peer pressuring Aimee into drinking and following "winging
it" lifestyle, slowly but surely Sutter's shallowness for not caring about
anybody but himself shows and he sees it. One event that he's been looking
forward to for a long time changes him. The only problem is if he will take
these problems in his life, be that depression or alcoholism, and turn them
around to pursue a healthy and happy future.
It's movies like "The Spectacular
Now" that make me hopeful that things will get better with all the s**t
that happens in my life. I'm not going to compare my issues to other peoples'
issues because it's not fair. Our problems are just different. In "The
Spectacular Now", Sutter has the issue of realizing that he really does
have psychological extremities. What I absolutely loved about this film is that,
for the whole movie, it's a slow realistic pace to that revelation. We see him
and Aimee grow together through ups and downs, all in the span of one year.
When I cry, I cry because a main character is relatable and I can see myself in
that situation; the everyday Joe. Everybody, not only Sutter, is the opposite
of what a 'movie' character is: honest and real. This inclusion into the story
is why I recommend "The Spectacular Now" to everyone. It's a
find-yourself type of movie that, with great performances and a great adapted
screenplay, truly engages someone to reflect on their own life. Miles Teller
usually does his consistent douchebag character, "The Spectacular
Now" is no exception. However, he gets the added benefit of a turn-around
that us, as an audience, are expecting, but not to hit as hard as it did. Even
though he acted and portrayed that popular dumb jock in high school that
everyone was either charmed by or hated, you still follow his journey into
wanting to change. That's where the screenplay comes into effect. The dialogue
is genuine and doesn't hold bars into high school drama. For the people who
have been through or are in high school, some similar events that are shown
have or will happen. I admire the honesty that is shown through Shailene
Woodley's Aimee, Brie Larson's Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Holly,
Jennifer Jason Leigh's Sara, and Kyle Chandler's Tommy. All of these characters
surrounding Sutter make "The Spectacular Now" so immersive to the
point where you'll feel enough to be openly emotional. Yeah, go ahead and cry!
It's all good by me!
"The Spectacular Now" is an
authentic view into the lives of hurt people. It doesn't matter that their
teenagers in high school. These people could be toddlers or elderly, for crying
out loud! It still doesn't take away from the script being, well, spectacular.
You get to see into the soul of a person's surfaced personality. I'll make the
analogy of a doctor performing surgery: a doctor (director) cuts into the skin
of a person (Sutter) who needs help and you can see, with every move the doctor
makes, the person being revealed a bit more. When the surgery is done, the
doctor patches up all the wounds, cleans the person up, and they eventually
feel better. In "The Spectacular Now", this is too true. It's a
tender film that takes it time to reveal all the reasons a person is hurt to
have them realize that they are hurt. Anyone who has been in some sort of
emotional pain, and have been stuck in denial, should watch this (I'm assuming
almost everyone has).
Don't be afraid to be young, though. Think of your future and your present. Be happy!
"The Spectacular Now"
is rated R for alcohol use, language and some sexuality -- all involving teens
Click here to watch the trailer
"The Spectacular Now"
is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download
No comments:
Post a Comment