Young Adult = Immature Movie

The other weekend I was sorely disappointed after watching the movie "Young Adult." The previews made it seem funny and I was sad I didn't see it in theaters. Now I'm thankfully I saved myself $10, a large Diet Coke and a small popcorn with two layers of butter. The movie is written by Diablo Cody, who made a name for herself with the brilliant flick "Juno." I was actually a huge fan of her's before she got into the movie world. Her book, "Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper," was such a good read I couldn't put it down. The whole thing is an interesting and witty backstage look into the world of stripping. Anyone from Minnesota who reads this will get the lowdown on each strip club in Minneapolis without having to actually go there. I used to live in the Warehouse District, so I used to walk by Sex World everyday on my way home from work.

Back to the movie. Cody sets this story in Minnesota. Charlize Theron plays Mavis, who hails from a small town in Minnesota. After college she became a success being the ghost writer to a Twilight-esque book series that hit it big. Like all successful people, she moves to the big city of Minneapolis. After getting divorced, she gets it in her mind that her destiny lies with her ex-boyfriend from high school. The problem is that he's happily married with a newborn baby. Mavis heads back to the small town to win him back. Basically Mavis is a delusional, alcoholic, narcissistic hot mess. Charlize plays her well. My problem is more with the role itself. There's mention that she was the popular mean girl in high school, but that's about all the background we get on her. There's no likeable qualities about Mavis, so you don't root for her, so the viewer never gets drawn into the movie on more than a surface level. Her family plays a very minor role in the plot, when they could have been used it as an opportunity to explain how Mavis ended up the way she is. I'll spare you all the other boring plot parts and skip to the ending. Spoiler alert: I am going to rant and rave and give away the ending. But I don't really think I'm going to spoil much for people who haven't seen it. Mavis has a giant breakdown in front of everyone and exposes her visit's ulterior motive. It's very awkward and sad. Then she goes and sleeps with this handicapped guy she's become drinking buddies with. After that experience it starts to sound like she starts to realize she needs to get some help and is thinking of reforming. But then the handicapped guy's sister (who worshiped Mavis in high school) tells her she's special just the way she is and that she's so much better than everyone else in town. Mavis agrees and immediately heads back to Minneapolis and that's the end of the movie. It was like the entire movie had no point. It left me completely unfulfilled and frustrated. I feel like the movie had so much potential. It could have been a dark/ironic comedy, but nothing is funny about it. It could have been a story of growth and change but she's a hot mess in the beginning and a hot mess in the end. I would wait until cable to watch this movie, if you watch it at all.