"Young Adult"

Comedy. Rated R. 1 hour, 34 minutes.

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Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of young adult books, who is depressed and bored. She returns to her childhood town of Mercury, Minnesota from Minneapolis to get out of her rut and get back with her high school sweetheart, Buddy, played by Patrick Wilson. Only one problem, he is married and a first-time father of a little girl.

She is a raging alcoholic and pulls her hair out of boredom or anxiety. As she seeks out her high school sweetheart, she plans on breaking up his marriage since she convinces herself that he is trapped into marriage and tied down with a baby. She is convinced its fate and they were meant for each other.

They meet in bars as she rekindles the good ole days. However, when she is invited to his house by his wife to the baby-naming party, her self-pity is revealed.

She meets another guy from school, Matt, played by Patton Oswalt, who had a locker next to hers for the entire time in high school without being noticed. She was cruel to him back then and she remembered him as being a geek, but forms a bond with him during her visit. She confides in him her plot to steal Buddy away from his wife.

At the end of the movie, there is a revelation on her part, to find out what that is you have to see the movie.

Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air") directed the film while Diablo Cody ("Juno") was the writer. Helen Estabrook, Nathan Kahane, John Malkovich and Steven M. Rales served as executive producers of the project.

I thought the movie was more of a drama than a comedy. However, I did enjoy it.

OVERALL RATING: B

Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

Young Adult movie poster