Film Friday: James Ponsoldt's 'The Spectacular Now' with Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley

It's hard to believe that a movie like The Spectacular Now even exists. While most Hollywood teen romances can't take anything seriously, James Ponsoldt's 2013 film finally provides this generation of young moviegoers with a serious look at taking a new direction in life. Nothing comes easy to Sutter Keely, played by Miles Teller, and that's the way life really is.

Based on a novel by Tim Tharp with a screenplay by Scott Neudstadter and Michael H. Weber, the film isn't really centered on the romance between Sutter and Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley). It centers on what it takes to finally get cool kid Sutter to realize that he has to grow up after he graduates high school. He lives with his mom and, at the start of the movie, thinks he has the perfect relationship with Casidee (Brie Larson). But when Casidee sees him in a car with another girl, she breaks up with him. That should be Sutter's wake up call, but it's not. Instead, it drives him to drink even more and he passes out on a random lawn.

That lawn happens to be in front of the house where Aimee lives. Aimee knows who Sutter is, since everyone knows him, but Sutter doesn't know her. She's a smart girl, loves books, has never had a boyfriend and is getting ready to go to college. At first, Sutter thinks he's helping her, but in reality, she's helping him. Unfortunately, she picks up one of his habits – drinking. But unlike Sutter, who tries to drown his troubles in alcohol, Aimee is clearly doing it just to because Sutter does it.

While the film certainly has plenty of humorous elements, it is a mostly serious affair. Ponsoldt is more interested in the reality of the situation, with deft directing that highlights the warm performances from his two leads. He picks up the right moments to give Teller and Woodley a chance to breathe on film, creating their characters. They feel so natural together because there's an incredible chemistry between the two. Neither of them are closed off to the audience because, after all, this is a film about teens graduating high school for teens in the same position. It certainly wouldn't work well if the audience couldn't relate to these characters. They aren't rich, they don't live in an exclusive community and they don't have perfect families.

But for all the good that The Spectacular Now does just by being made, it isn't a perfect film. There are a few story mistakes. The biggest happens after Sutter tells Aimee to get out of his car just after she told him that she loves him. Even though a car drives by and strikes her, leaving her arm broken, she comes back to him without question. Perhaps she's more forgiving than most, but you'd think she'd at least say something about it.

That said, The Spectacular Now can survive little errors like these thanks to the performances and the world Ponsoldt created. Scenes like Teller's confrontation with his father, played by a nearly unrecognizable Kyle Chandler, doesn't work without that quick close-up of Teller during Chandler's speech. We instantly get the connection – Sutter is going to be just like his old man if he keeps this up. And then there's the great follow-up scene, where Sutter's mom (Jennifer Jason Leigh) convinces him that he is different from his father because he is loving towards others and loved by others.

Woodley, who showed her chops in The Descendants, kept honing her skills on this movie, bringing a sense of ease to her job. That makes her performance look easy, but it is a challenge to look as relaxed as she does on the screen.

As The Spectacular Now ends, it is clear that everything in the movie was about helping Sutter realize his true potential. There's a moral to the story here, but because this isn't a comedy, it doesn't feel shoehorned in. What Sutter has to learn is the same thing that many of us really do struggle with and Sutter comes to that conclusion in a completely natural way. Living in the moment sure feels fun, but the only way you can ensure that you get more of them is by facing changes head-on.

The Spectacular Now is available to stream on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

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