← Back to Reviews
in
#223 - The Spectacular Now
James Ponsoldt, 2013
Focuses on the relationship between a pair of high school students - one a sarcastic slacker with a drinking problem, the other an optimistic introvert.
At first glance, The Spectacular Now looks like yet another one of those quasi-independent dramedies that trades on a down-to-earth, bittersweet sensibility as it builds off a rather familiar low-key premise and fills out its supporting cast with recognisable character actors. It definitely fills those criteria, but underneath it's still a fairly solid little coming-of-age story that provides enough variation to be decent, if not necessarily amazing. Between this and Whiplash, Miles Teller is shaping up to be a rather promising young actor - his character isn't supposed to be all that sympathetic due to him being a budding alcoholic who's not doing too well at school or work and whose response to being dumped by his girlfriend (Brie Larson) involves trying to play Pygmalion with the sweet and innocent classmate (Shailene Woodley) he meets up with by chance in the wake of one especially heavy session of drinking. Of course, things start getting serious and drama ensues, especially when Teller's character ends up confronting some of the issues involving his broken home.
The Spectacular Now may not reinvent the wheel or anything, but it's a charming little film that has good performances and fleshes out its framework with some nicely-handled scenes. It feels realistic and believable, almost to a fault - Teller and Woodley have strong enough chemistry and sell their relationship rather well (both the highs and lows) but it feels like something that belongs in a film with more of a plot than this rather meandering affair (which only seems to get serious about its developments in its second half). The veteran performers (such as Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bob Odenkirk, and Kyle Chandler) don't get all that much material to work with - sure, it might be justified by the film being mainly filtered through Teller's character's perspective and so any number of authority figures come across as one-dimensional, but that doesn't feel like much of an excuse. It's a pleasant and intriguing enough film, but doesn't have all that much steak to back up its considerable sizzle.
James Ponsoldt, 2013
Focuses on the relationship between a pair of high school students - one a sarcastic slacker with a drinking problem, the other an optimistic introvert.
At first glance, The Spectacular Now looks like yet another one of those quasi-independent dramedies that trades on a down-to-earth, bittersweet sensibility as it builds off a rather familiar low-key premise and fills out its supporting cast with recognisable character actors. It definitely fills those criteria, but underneath it's still a fairly solid little coming-of-age story that provides enough variation to be decent, if not necessarily amazing. Between this and Whiplash, Miles Teller is shaping up to be a rather promising young actor - his character isn't supposed to be all that sympathetic due to him being a budding alcoholic who's not doing too well at school or work and whose response to being dumped by his girlfriend (Brie Larson) involves trying to play Pygmalion with the sweet and innocent classmate (Shailene Woodley) he meets up with by chance in the wake of one especially heavy session of drinking. Of course, things start getting serious and drama ensues, especially when Teller's character ends up confronting some of the issues involving his broken home.
The Spectacular Now may not reinvent the wheel or anything, but it's a charming little film that has good performances and fleshes out its framework with some nicely-handled scenes. It feels realistic and believable, almost to a fault - Teller and Woodley have strong enough chemistry and sell their relationship rather well (both the highs and lows) but it feels like something that belongs in a film with more of a plot than this rather meandering affair (which only seems to get serious about its developments in its second half). The veteran performers (such as Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bob Odenkirk, and Kyle Chandler) don't get all that much material to work with - sure, it might be justified by the film being mainly filtered through Teller's character's perspective and so any number of authority figures come across as one-dimensional, but that doesn't feel like much of an excuse. It's a pleasant and intriguing enough film, but doesn't have all that much steak to back up its considerable sizzle.