Realistic feeling, beautiful visuals in ‘The Spectacular Now’
“The Spectacular Now” is an indie coming-of-age drama that begins with the lead character, Sutter (Miles Teller), an outspoken, egotistical high school senior, getting dumped by his girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larson). He goes into a brief explanation about how devastating this is for him, considering how perfect a couple they were. Everyone loved them together. They were the life of the party, and it seemed like nothing would break them apart. After a drinking spree one night,
Sutter ends up sprawled and passed out on a stranger’s front lawn. Aimee (Shailene Woodley), who lives in the house, comes out and wakes him up from his drunken daze. She goes to the same high school as Sutter, and he says he recognizes her, but he cannot place her name. Aimee is a laid-back and quiet but amiable girl, and is neither the most popular girl in school nor a social outcast.
She is just one of the many students who people kind of know, kind of don’t know and has a few friends, but not too many. She immediately seems like she must be a good student, but she is certainly not a nerd. Having nothing better to do, Sutter joins Aimee on her newspaper route across town. The two strike up a friendship and to both of their surprise, they become a couple.
Sutter lives with his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is away at her job most of the time and sees too little of her son. Despite repeated inquiries, his mother will not tell him about his father (Kyle Chandler) or where he is. He has a strained relationship with and rarely sees his sister Holly (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Sutter, seemingly whip-smart and charming, becomes lost and uncertain at home.
Adapting Tim Tharp’s novel, Director James Ponsoldt and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (“(500) Days of Summer”) have created a character study that is more interested in people than plot. That is absolutely fine and welcome in this current climate of corporately-made blockbusters and endless franchises. Yes, revelations are made, new characters are met, and plot turns happen, but the film is focused on the characters and how they do or don’t change.
Who knows why certain actors have chemistry while others don’t. Good acting and writing certainly help, but there is an unexplainable element, a spark, that makes a relationship snap on screen.
Teller and Woodley positively glow. In many scenes, Ponsoldt has long shots that go on for many minutes without a cut and lets the two actors just play with each other. They are just talking, walking and experiencing life together. One forgets that a movie is happening because the leads are so natural in these scenes.
Ponsoldt’s previous film, “Smashed,” which stars Winstead, directly deals with alcoholism. “Now”
never mentions the word alcoholism, but it is a major issue that affects the lives of the film’s characters. Most of the time, Sutter is a functioning alcoholic, while at other times, he is most certainly not. It is refreshing to see a film about teenagers that deals with this serious issue in a way that is realistic, complex and not didactic.
The film was shot on 35mm film, which was the right choice for this intimate story. The colors are warm and inviting. Although the film is set in the present, the film has a timeless quality to it. Aside from passing moments of cellphone and computer use, the film could have been set thirty years ago. It only cements the idea that characters are what make the best films stick with audiences.