Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron), a late thirtysomething beauty who ghostwrites teen lit novels, has a severe case of arrested development.  A city girl living on an impressive Minneapolis high rise, Mavis is floored after seeing a picture of  her high school boyfriend’s (Patrick Wilson, playing Buddy Slade) newborn baby.  Determined to win Buddy back, she digs up his old mix tape, puts her little pooch in her purse, and takes a journey back home to Mercury (a fictitious town in Minnesota).

With Young Adult, director Jason Reitman continues his exploration of protagonists whose contrarian behavior exact an almost devastating toll.  During her road trip to Mercury, she plays and rewinds one song (Teenage Fanclub’s poppy and infectious “The Concept”), drumming up the ghosts of her 1990s youth.  Although her intentions are a bit wistful, Buddy’s happily married, and wooing him away from domestic bliss is rather unsavory.

During her first night back, she downs an unhealthy amount of Maker’s Mark and beer with former classmate Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt), a dude she simply remembers as “the hate crime guy.”  Severely beaten by several jocks with a crowbar, Matt’s legs, penis, and psyche, have never fully recovered since high school.  “How’s your dick,” asks Mavis sans compunction. “Does it work?”  Engulfed by their respective cynicism, the pair develop an immediate bond borne out of alcohol and, since this is a Reitman and Diablo Cody (Juno) reunion, witty repartee.  (Click on the media bar, as Theron discusses her own opinions of going back home:

Young Adult’s main narrative may focus on Mavis’ impractical overtures towards Buddy, but the soul of the picture lies in her growing friendship with Freehauf.  Although Buddy has settled into domestic bliss (and for that matter, adulthood), Mavis and Buddy are still, when it comes to their own stunted maturation, kicking it old school.

Is leaving your loved ones behind for lure of the city worth it, and is suburban life truly hell?  Would you rather see a Minneapolis skyline from a balcony or gorge at a mall residing Kentacohut (Mavis’ threesome term for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut)?  It’s a shock to the system for Mavis, who in trying to recapture her past, finally understands that Mercury, even amidst its daily doldrums, has moved on without her.

Patton Oswalt, who was absolutely unnerving in Big Fan, brings a tangible heartbreak to Buddy, a man child who still plays with action figures and has a distillery in his basement.  A self-proclaimed “fat geek” (he wears a Pixies shirt, so geek, in my book, is not a pejorative), he sees Mavis in all her complex glory and loves her for it.  Buddy probably has his own dreams of leaving Mercury with his lady love in tow, but since this is a Reitman film, don’t expect a predictable climax.

Beyond the witticisms and uncomfortable confrontations in Young Adult exists the bitter truth that people just don’t change over night.  During the film’s first act, Mavis walks into a corner bar as The Replacements tune “Achin’ to Be” drifts through the room.  It’s a fitting song, as Paul Westerberg muses, “And she’s kind of like a movie, everyone rushes to see, and no understands it, sitting in their seats, she opens her mouth to speak, and what comes out it’s a mystery, thought about, not understood, she’s achin to be.” Theron effectively captures the Mavis’ listless spirit and delivers one of this year’s most compelling (and layered) performances.    Young Adult, like all of Reitman’s films, is filled with biting wit and sarcasm.  But life is far from easy, and a little humor goes a long way, especially if you’re driving to Mercury.

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