If you expect a feel-good type of comedy from the latest film by Jason Reitman (Up In The Air, Juno), be prepared to often feel very uncomfortable. This isn’t one of those light-hearted Hollywood comedies where the unlikely, unlikeable protagonist somehow transforms for the better. Written by Diablo Cody (Juno), the story revolves around a miserable woman named Mavis Gary (brilliantly played by Charlize Theron) whose selfishness, alcoholism and self-pity, combined with the situations she gets herself into, will literally make you cringe and look away from the screen in embarrassment.
Theron is the writer of a young adult fiction series, living in a depressing high-rise in Minneapolis, getting wasted every night and waking up fully dressed while some kind of Kardashian-related TV show plays in the background. When she receives an e-mail from her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) announcing that he’s a new father, Theron somehow starts thinking that he’s her soulmate and that she should return to her hometown to save him from his marriage and new baby. She heads to Mercury, Minnesota and quickly gets to work: setting up a meeting with Wilson, as well as getting drunk upon arrival at a local watering hole where she encounters Matt (a fantastic Patton Oswalt), a geek she ignored in high school.
When she finally reunites with Wilson and meets his lovely, incredibly kind and cool wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser), Theron’s inappropriate attempts to woo her ex-boyfriend back will make you slouch down in your seat and cover your face with your hands. This isn’t the tale of the beautiful, spoiled princess who learns some kind of moralistic lesson, or finally falls for the right guy (in this case, Oswalt). There is no lesson learned here, except maybe when she drunkenly confesses to being an alcoholic.
It’s a cleverly written, often darkly funny film that gives Theron her best role since Monster. The gorgeous blonde is one of these actresses who could easily bank on her looks and play the pretty girl in romantic comedies, but instead chooses more challenging roles like this one. Theron clues in to her character’s pain and misery, making the audience feel for a completely unsympathetic woman deluded by her own self-importance. Warning! If you suffer from Peter Pan syndrome, this will be difficult to watch.
source MontrealMirror
Theron gives a terrific performance. She elevates the movie by demonstrating her versatility. She almost makes you feel sympathetic towards this blonde, beautiful and sharp-witted anti-heroine. Oswalt deserves consideration for supporting actor as well. Great review. Check out whenever you get the chance.
SvaraRadera