Since the film Juno, director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody team up again to create this seemingly light-hearted comedy. Charlize Theron stars as a struggling, middle-aged author of a failing book series. After a failed marriage, whiskey, and one- night-stands Mavis Gary feels displaced and unloved. She heads back to her humble hometown of Mercury, Minnesota to pursue her high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade, a happily-married father of a newborn baby.
After checking into a hotel in her hometown, Mavis heads to a local dive bar, where former classmate Matt spots her pounding shots of Maker's Mark whiskey. Matt starts a conversation with her, questioning her about why she left her lavish life to come back to their dumpy town. After a few shots of whiskey, Mavis reveals that she is there to win back Buddy. After this Matt thinks she is crazy, but eventually realizes that they both share a painful and spiteful attitude toward life, due to the repercussions of high school. They start spending a lot of time together drinking whiskey and complaining about their lifelong mishaps and the melancholia that comes with growing old.
Her relationship with Matt begins to unfold after a confrontation in the woods next to their high school. Matt, who was deemed handicap after a horrible beating from the jocks in school, begins to feel angry toward Mavis for not understanding how hard things were for him in high school; how hard life still is now and how he spends his free time making booze and painting action figures. Without knowing it their bond grows due to the resentment they both hold for the things of the past.
About midway through the viewer realizes that Mavis is, unbeknownst to her,writing about her adolescent years and her failed relationship with Buddy Slade. In one scene she leans into Buddy and confesses that one of her characters is based on him, or the image of, in his high school years. After her binge-drinking and driving in her Cabriolet from her high school days, we start to see the pitfalls of Mavis' life, and her struggle to let go of the past.
Ultimately Mavis Gary's delusions about her old flame lead her to try to break him up with his wife by being overtly sexual toward his unassuming self. After a drunken kiss seen by Buddy's baby sitter, the locals of the town, including Mercury High School alumni, start to notice Mavis' ambiguous behavior. The rumor about Mavis' toxic behavior is solidified in a scene at Buddy's baby naming party. After her drink was spilled onto her silk dress, Mavis explodes at Buddy's wife and eventually reveals to everyone at the party about a miscarriage she had in high school with Buddy's child. She confesses that her jealousy about the baby is what drove her to Minnesota to win back her ex boyfriend, baby and all. We discover that Mavis, once a perfect and popular high school student has grown up to become an alcohol- abusing middle-aged woman angry about her unfortunate fate.
This once light-hearted comedy becomes a dark depiction of the resentment in life that comes with growing old and letting go. As a viewer I was able to relate to the sadness of the characters; the realization that the slow slump, which comes with age, is a common human denominator and an integral part of growing up.
The preview for this film made it out to be another light- hearted, dumb comedy about love which didn't really appeal to me. If it weren't for my appreciation of the director and writer I wouldn't have watched this film. It was a pleasant surprise that pulled on my heart- strings and thoroughly entertained me.
After checking into a hotel in her hometown, Mavis heads to a local dive bar, where former classmate Matt spots her pounding shots of Maker's Mark whiskey. Matt starts a conversation with her, questioning her about why she left her lavish life to come back to their dumpy town. After a few shots of whiskey, Mavis reveals that she is there to win back Buddy. After this Matt thinks she is crazy, but eventually realizes that they both share a painful and spiteful attitude toward life, due to the repercussions of high school. They start spending a lot of time together drinking whiskey and complaining about their lifelong mishaps and the melancholia that comes with growing old.
Her relationship with Matt begins to unfold after a confrontation in the woods next to their high school. Matt, who was deemed handicap after a horrible beating from the jocks in school, begins to feel angry toward Mavis for not understanding how hard things were for him in high school; how hard life still is now and how he spends his free time making booze and painting action figures. Without knowing it their bond grows due to the resentment they both hold for the things of the past.
About midway through the viewer realizes that Mavis is, unbeknownst to her,writing about her adolescent years and her failed relationship with Buddy Slade. In one scene she leans into Buddy and confesses that one of her characters is based on him, or the image of, in his high school years. After her binge-drinking and driving in her Cabriolet from her high school days, we start to see the pitfalls of Mavis' life, and her struggle to let go of the past.
Ultimately Mavis Gary's delusions about her old flame lead her to try to break him up with his wife by being overtly sexual toward his unassuming self. After a drunken kiss seen by Buddy's baby sitter, the locals of the town, including Mercury High School alumni, start to notice Mavis' ambiguous behavior. The rumor about Mavis' toxic behavior is solidified in a scene at Buddy's baby naming party. After her drink was spilled onto her silk dress, Mavis explodes at Buddy's wife and eventually reveals to everyone at the party about a miscarriage she had in high school with Buddy's child. She confesses that her jealousy about the baby is what drove her to Minnesota to win back her ex boyfriend, baby and all. We discover that Mavis, once a perfect and popular high school student has grown up to become an alcohol- abusing middle-aged woman angry about her unfortunate fate.
This once light-hearted comedy becomes a dark depiction of the resentment in life that comes with growing old and letting go. As a viewer I was able to relate to the sadness of the characters; the realization that the slow slump, which comes with age, is a common human denominator and an integral part of growing up.
The preview for this film made it out to be another light- hearted, dumb comedy about love which didn't really appeal to me. If it weren't for my appreciation of the director and writer I wouldn't have watched this film. It was a pleasant surprise that pulled on my heart- strings and thoroughly entertained me.