Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Young Adult

2 Paws
Seen recently at Rave Motion Pictures Westroads 14

I'm a Juno hater. The 2007 critical darling from writer Diablo Cody (born Brooke Busey, by the way) was waaaaaaaay too pretentious for my taste. Why, then, would I subject myself to her latest effort? Because I didn't want to miss the chance to see Patton Oswalt (Big Fan, Ratatouille) on the big screen in a somewhat meaty role.

There's something very real about Oswalt's performances. He definitely delivers as Matt Freehauf, Charlize Theron's picked-on high school classmate who - back in the day - became infamous for being the target of a heinous act. Theron (Mavis Gary) manages some nice moments as well, but the heavy-handed script eventually pulls her under (beware the numerous mani-pedi scenes - I was somewhat traumatized by them).

A big thank you, though, to the casting director for populating Gary's small Midwestern hometown with people, not stereotypes (i.e., we don't all chew tobacco and watch Hee Haw reruns).

Bonus Bones: 5
I spent most of this film feeling for sorry for Dolce - a stuffed animal would work just as well for Gary.

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