Friday, May 13, 2022

Young Adult

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Young Adult!


Original image located here. Accessed 13th May 2022

You know how it happens: You put a movie on your To Watch List and it stays there. It stays there for so long that you eventually forget why you put it there in the first place. But then again, there is something to be said about approaching something with fresh eyes.

So what this movie is putting forth is a character study: Of a woman who is wrapped up in the idealised teen life that her own life is in a period of stagnation. It's billed as a comedy but I don't believe it is. It is quite a bleak movie. Sure there are laughs but they are few and far between. As mentioned above, I forgot why I wanted to see this movie but somehow I think the anxiety of my approaching middle age could have something to do with it.
So far what I may have typed up sounds anything but a crowd pleaser but the movie works purely through the lead Charlize Theron, who certainly does a lot to make a potentially dislikable character appear in a sympathetic light.
But here's a thought: Does it make all the difference that this character is a female one? Somehow i can't help thinking that if this character was played by a male actor the movie would be disregarded as either a) a Taxi Driver clone or b) incel bait.
So yeah, not an easy watch - more akin to a car crash if anything - but it certainly was compelling.

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