The Spectacular Now (2013)
Cast includes: Miles Teller (Project X), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Kyle Chandler (Zero Dark Thirty), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Road to Perdition), Brie Larson (21 Jump Street), Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad), Masam Holden (Elizabethtown), Dayo Okeniyi (The Hunger Games)
Writer: Scott Neustadter ((500) Days of Summer), Michael H. Weber ((500) Days of Summer)
Director: James Ponsoldt (Off the Black)
Genre: comedy | Drama | Romance (95 minutes) Based on a novel by Tim Tharp
“Dear Dean of Admissions…” Sutter has to compose an essay about his challenges and hardships. “Until yesterday I had the best fucking girlfriend in the world… I had everything I needed… a car, a job, a beautiful girl… I was the life of every party…. I was just trying to help my best friend, Ricky, get some action…” Anyway, in the process, Sutter’s girlfriend Cassidy found out and totally overreacted. Things went downhill until… “Arrivederci. Fuck you.” Sutter took it pretty hard, and after a night of drinking he wakes up on a stranger’s lawn with Aimee saying, “Hello. Hey. Hey. Hello… Oh my God. You’re alive!” Aimee came across Sutter while doing her mom’s paper route. At this point, Sutter needs to find his car and Aimee has papers to deliver… so they team up. “I was having a really rotten night until you came along.” Sutter never noticed Aimee before, but when he did notice her, she’s really nice. “Aimee? Strange choice for a rebound,” says Ricky. Meanwhile Ricky seems to be doing well with Sutter’s lessons. “Kiss her? Check. Tongue action? Double check!”
Mr. Aster can’t understand why Sutter does so poorly in geometry… “If you fail. I fail.” Dan, Sutter’s boss, had been hoping that “Cassidy would be the one to yank you out of neutral.” Why is everyone worrying about Sutter’s future? Sutter only cares about now… and getting Cassidy back. Maybe Aimee can tutor him in geometry. Even when he asks Aimee out, he’s really hoping to win Cassidy back. Ricky thinks it’s a bad idea… “If she falls for you… what happens then?” She won’t… “I give it a month. Tops.” Meanwhile, Aimee has gotten into the college she wanted, and she really does think Sutter is boyfriend material.
With high school graduation coming up, everyone’s making plans for the future. But Sutter is still stuck in now… not the past, not the future. Sutter has issues that are endearing for a high school student, but won’t serve him well as an adult. “Growing up is totally over rated.” There’s one person who believes in Sutter, but she really deserves more… and Sutter knows it.
The Spectacular Now is one of those teen movies that probably makes more sense in the rearview mirror. Sutter is endearing… he’s a totally cool guy. From the perspective of an adult, however, Sutter is a sad loser in the making. Eventually, Sutter finds his estranged father and sees what his future could look like if he doesn’t change course. The movie becomes decidedly less cheerful at that point. To the filmmaker’s credit, they don’t sugarcoat it (too much). However, it makes for a film that’s part fun-loving teen film and partly a dark dose of reality. Sutter’s got potential if he can get out of neutral. “You’re not the joke everyone thinks, man.”
2 popped kernels
Sutter had the best fucking girlfriend in the world… now he wants her back… meanwhile Aimee thinks he’s a good person
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R (Language, sexual content)
Audience: Young adults
Distribution: Mainstream wide release
Mood: Neutral
Tempo: Cruises comfortably
Visual Style: Unvarnished realism
Primary Driver: Character development
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Pure entertainment
