I saw a plug for The Spectacular Now on Jimmy Fallon a while ago and finally got around to seeing it. By the same writers as 500 Days of Summer, I was skeptical it might be more of a chick-flick than advertised. A coming-of-age film that really made a point to market itself as real and adult. It didn't disappoint. Instead of taking the normal garbage teen approach like in Pretty Little Liars or Gossip Girl where 25 year old women play high-school freshmen who have blogs and fun drinking habits. Refreshingly, we get to meet Sutter (Miles Teller), a believable alcoholic High School senior. And of course, his nerdy surprise love interest Aimee (Shailene Woodley).
Sutter was both the most lovable, caring main character I've seen in a long time and the most painfully negative influence ever for quiet, geeky Aimee. Caught between girls, alcohol, and a bad college essay, he was often much more relatable than any viewer would want to admit. We aren't made to look down on him as the story progresses, but rather to feel what he's going through. With a better brain than he wants to use and a flask always in hand, Sutter struggles through the movie aware he is in denial about living in the "now". Aimee on the other hand is a perfect student who dreams of working for NASA if she can afford to get there. The film takes us with them, but we see Aimee get a new flask, rather than Sutter get a new textbook.
As we are emotionally intended to view Sutter and Aimee, we also physically see them. Almost every single shot of the entire movie was face level framing the character who was speaking. When the director did break this while characters were speaking it was either to show interaction, or alcohol use. When Sutter or Aimee was drunk enough, the pacing picked up and more close up shots were used, cutting within dialogue, and putting the viewer too close to the characters, creating discomfort. The other change which I noticed the most was when one shot was used for almost the entirety of a scene. I believe it gave a very natural feeling to some very important scenes. On such example, their first kiss, in the clip below.
The drawn out shots had a great effect on both positive and negative scenes. One scene which was very important to the progression of the movie was effectively upsetting. It took place in a bar meant to make the main characters feel uncomfortable. Learning a lot about themselves and their lives, it changed their moods for the movie. Watching, I too felt uncomfortable. The camera sat too long on rambling, intentionally uncomfortable dialogue. It felt like a history movie where you start getting uncomfortable because the shot needs to change but it doesn't. Additionally, the music clashed audibly and emotionally with the words, and I felt like shifting in my seat. To me, this made it the most impressive scene to watch.
Ultimately, I entered the movie expecting to be disappointed compared to the add, but ended up happy with what I got out of it. Other than the fact that Sutter used AIM, the characters and plot felt very real, which was refreshing compared to teen movies like Mean Girls (not to disrespect a classic). I'm not ashamed to admit I enjoyed watching this romantic comedy/drama. It was as testosterone filled as the genre could include. This movie deserves 4/5 Bald Eagles. I left feeling exactly how the director wanted, and I enjoyed the ride.
