Skip to main content

The Spectacular Now

Starring: Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley
Directed by: James Ponsoldt
Screenplay by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Based on the novel by Tim Tharp

    It looks like we have another teen romance movie on our hands.
    Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is a typical hard partying student.  He's a high school senior who acts like nothing really matters and doesn't care much about anything.  All that changes when he meets Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley).  She's the "nice girl", the inexperienced girl; pretty much the exact opposite of Sutter.  All Sutter wants to do is stay in the same spot for the foreseeable future and not do anything productive.  Aimee has goals and dreams that she wants to achieve.  She wants to move to Philadelphia and make a life for herself in the city.  After a while, these plans begin to include Sutter, because the more time they spend together, the more in love she falls with him.  Will he go with Aimee or stay where he is?
    When I first saw the trailer for this film, I thought it would be obvious what I would take away from the movie, to learn how to enjoy the current moment and truly be a part of the now.  But this film did the exact opposite.  It told me to keep dreaming and keep pushing forward.  It tells the story from the perspective of a main character who enjoys the current moment too much, so much so, that he doesn't even think about the future.  
     I like that the main character of this film is someone we might not necessarily want to end up like.  I also like that these are totally 100% normal characters, unlike some of the other teen romance films out there (I won't name any names, but you know who you are).  I'm a believer that romance films such as The Spectacular Now should allow us to picture ourselves in the situation in some way.  I think that's what makes a strong connection between the film and the audience.  
     Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley both deliver strong performances and make for a relatively good screen couple.  There is plenty of good chemistry between them on screen.
     Overall, The Spectacular Now is a good film.  It isn't the happiest of romance movies in that it doesn't have the happiest of endings.  You'll just have to see the movie to find out what happens.
     I give The Spectacular Now a B+.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Man

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, and Corey Stoll Directed by: Damien Chazelle Screenplay by: Josh Singer Based on the book by James R. Hansen      Yes, this is the same director who did La La Land from a few years ago.  But this is a true story this time, and not necessarily a feel good one.      Many of us know about Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.  First Man is not simply the story of the moon landing, but the story about Armstrong and what led him to be the first man in history to walk on the moon.  It's a story about making huge sacrifices for himself, and his family, in order to accomplish such a goal, as well as overcoming a great deal of grief.       The film focuses almost entirely on Neil (Ryan Gosling).  The film opens up on him as one of the premiere pilots in the military, piloting the X-15; a plane that was capable of flying over 100,000 feet altitude.  He is portrayed as
Post a Comment
Read more

Rosewater

Starring:  Gael García Bernal, Kim Bodina, and Dimitri Leonidas Directed by: Jon Stewart Screenplay by: Jon Stewart Based on the book " Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival" by Maziar Bahari      Remember last summer when Jon Stewart took three months off from hosting The Daily Show  leaving it to John Oliver?  This film is the reason.      Maziar Bahari is a journalist for Newsweek who is on assignment in Tehran, Iran for the 2009 election.  The election is between the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Mir-Hossein Mousavi.  When Bahari first arrives in Iran, the polls show that it is likely Mousavi will win as he is gaining a rather large lead against Ahmadinejad.  Ahmadinejad is backed by the Supreme Leader and there are fears that the election will be rigged in favor of Ahmedinejad.  Well, that's exactly what happens.  There are protests in the streets, and Bahari's story has changed.  He first was coveri
Post a Comment
Read more

The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins      If reality television hasn't gone too far yet, then this show should definitely make it go too far.      In a futuristic nation called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected from each of the nation's twelve districts to represent them in an annual television event called the Hunger Games.  Of the 24 contestants, only one will survive in this televised fight to the death.      I like the concept of the story.  While this futuristic society seems somewhat simple, it does not seem all that well developed.  It is unknown how this society came into being, even though it is known how the Hunger Games began.      If this film were released last year, I would have hoped it would be nominated for best make-up.  Many of the characters look absolutely ridiculous and are way too flashy, but the make-up is v
2 comments
Read more