Could I have that with a side of Self-loathing and Misanthropy, please?

Young Adult was just about as I expected.  Except that it was more like Juno in that it was not too offensive and awful until you got near the end of the film.  (Up in the Air is just awful pretty much all the way through.) I can not stand this filmmaker, Jason Reitman, and I refuse to actually "pay" to see his films these days.  (Renee and I did see Juno in the theater.) So, finally Young Adult popped up on netflix, streaming for "free" -- or free enough for my purposes.

Why do I keep torturing myself with these crappy movies? 

Why does Reitman seem to hate himself and his generation so much?  Why does Reitman seem to hate everyone, in general? Are people that like Sonic Youth and Teenage Fanclub all jerks?

I like a lot of films with despicable protagonists, or films, in which there are no likable characters, at all.  I just saw Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street.  It was absolutely seedy and splendid at the same time, repellent and rewarding.  Young Adult, honestly, is not the worst thing I have ever seen, until the last two reels.


And, what about the drunken kiss from the hometown hubby? It is implausible, barely commented on, and works as cover for Cody and Reitman's flimsy story. There is no way Mavis sleeps with that other guy, either.  There is no way.  And the other guy's sister? And the pep talk she gives Mavis? That has to be one of worst instances of deus ex machina I have ever seen, a complete cop-out.  Diablo Cody and Reitman should have ended the film at the party.  What a grim, perfect way to end their little misanthropic exercise.  The joke is on Mavis! Leave town humiliated, with red wine all down your fancy frock!

I am tempted to think the point of their crappy ending is:  The cool kids always win, and just getting out of the small town is enough.  But, it does not play.  It simply was not written well-enough, or performed well enough to get that message across.

Young Adult truly stinks.  And, I still hate Reitman's work.  And, I am sure I will keep seeing his films -- for "free" -- and writing about them.  Maybe he will surprise me one day.  I strongly doubt it.

(And poor, awesome Teenage Fanclub deserve much better.)








Ardent