YOUNG ADULT

Some people grow up too soon. Mavis Gary never grew up at all.

The 30 year old Mavis (Charlize Theron) spends her time writing, drinking, watching VH1 reality shows and, occasionally she gets around to her job. She writes-ghostwrites-a series of young adult books about a high-school girl who "was never taken seriously because she was too pretty."

One day Mavis decides too go back to her hometown and reconnect with her high-school boyfriend Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson). It's worth knowing that she undertakes this quest knowing full well that Buddy is married and has just had a child. Along the way she strikes up an unlikely friendship with an old classmate Matt (Patton Oswalt) who does his best to tell her that she's insane. Mavis is condescending enough to Matt that he, up to a point, enjoys watching her fail miserably.

And fail miserably she does. When she meets Buddy again, she misreads every social cue that should tell her that he is not just married, he is extremely married. For instance: Buddy describes himself as being a zombie, in reference to being a new father. Not having spent much time around infants, Mavis thinks he's referring to his marriage.

The film is a reunion for screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman, who both made Juno together, but comparing this project to that one would be completely wrong. Cody has dialed-back her stylized dialogue lending this film a more real-world feel. A lot of people criticized the protagonist in Juno as sounding as if she where from another planet, while Mavis just feels trapped on another planet. There's a fair bit of harsh satire going on here, but Reitman is able to warm up the material considerably. On paper Mavis is a bit of a cliché, with the toy dog in her purse, her wigs and "Hello Kitty" T-shirts, but Reitman and Theron work to find a deeper truth to this woman. As misguided as her quest is, she is trying to to pull herself together, it's not just 'the bitch from high-school being mean,' she's trying to pull herself out of a deep depression. Trying to live that fantasy life that only exists in her books.

Grade: B+