(Historical Post - 23/06/15)
I heard about this little gem, The Spectacular Now, a while ago, but only because I was stalking Miles Teller.
I honestly don't remember this movie coming out in the UK. In fact I think it only had a very limited run at the 2014 London Film Festival.
This baffles me!
The critical praise this film has generated is phenomenal, a Metascore of 82% which is pretty huge by comparison, a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2 on IMDb - which again is pretty hefty, considering this is quite a simple coming of age drama on the surface.
The performances are simple but truthful - obviously I am psychotically in love with Miles Teller so that helps, but I have this odd hatred for Shailene Woodley that I had totally forgotten about within 5 minutes of her being on screen. Everything about her was effortless but so endearing; what a star.
The movie is a modern day love story, but its not all rainbows and butterflies, its hard work, mainly due to one parties initial resistance, but you get to see him come around and its just so heart warming. Seeing two people fall in love on screen is my guilty pleasure.
I think what struck a chord with me most, is that I totally identified with her character and her situation, unfortunately for me I've been in a couple of very destructive relationships and like her, I continued to try and change that person with love and kindness, which never works in reality, but by the end of this film you genuinely hope it has.
There have been some comparisons to 'Say Anything' which I am absolutely against - its nothing like it!!! I will agree that as a whole package it is very close to being just as good, but nothing will ever match Say Anything in the iconic pop culture stakes. I'm not going to say anymore, as I'll be here all day defending my beloved JC.
Miles Teller, playing Sutter Keely, really showcases his natural talent here, he's not the hilariously funny one, he's not the loser or the winner, he's just an average high school student, struggling with personal demons and dulling his anguish with alcohol. He's never shown as trying to be someone he's not - such an honest performance, its beautiful to watch and obviously largely improvised - even when he is being a proper shit bag, you still root for him, even in his darkest moments you can see he has a heart - that is why he's blowing up the way he is, he's mesmerising.
The whole movie has a very normal look to it, the use of the word normal is not me being lazy, it is just what it is. Everything is average, costumes, sets, locations etc its a depiction of everyday life that everyone can relate to, the director took Tim Tharp's novel and bought it to life with what looked like minimal effort but you can tell blood sweat and tears went into making this the painfully beautiful movie it is.
The whole supporting cast did their job and did it well; it’s hard to make an impact when you have limited screen time but each one did, I particularly loved the relationship between Miles Tellers character and his boss, played so lovingly by Bob Odenkirk - I suppose he was there to represent the father figure that was ever so achingly missing from Sutter's life. Their exchanges, although minimal, were a highlight for me because I just love a bromance.
The chemistry between the two leads in undeniable, that's probably why I hate her, there are such tender moments between them that are so true to life its gorgeous to witness.
Drama films are like the plain old biscuits at the bottom of the tin, that no one really wants but they eat anyway, just because they are there, there's usually no massive impact like a comedy or a horror, its just glimpses of everyday life and the situations people find themselves in but this is one film that I think everyone should see, everyone will find something of themselves in one of the characters or moments.
I heard about this little gem, The Spectacular Now, a while ago, but only because I was stalking Miles Teller.
I honestly don't remember this movie coming out in the UK. In fact I think it only had a very limited run at the 2014 London Film Festival.
This baffles me!
The critical praise this film has generated is phenomenal, a Metascore of 82% which is pretty huge by comparison, a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2 on IMDb - which again is pretty hefty, considering this is quite a simple coming of age drama on the surface.
The performances are simple but truthful - obviously I am psychotically in love with Miles Teller so that helps, but I have this odd hatred for Shailene Woodley that I had totally forgotten about within 5 minutes of her being on screen. Everything about her was effortless but so endearing; what a star.
The movie is a modern day love story, but its not all rainbows and butterflies, its hard work, mainly due to one parties initial resistance, but you get to see him come around and its just so heart warming. Seeing two people fall in love on screen is my guilty pleasure.
I think what struck a chord with me most, is that I totally identified with her character and her situation, unfortunately for me I've been in a couple of very destructive relationships and like her, I continued to try and change that person with love and kindness, which never works in reality, but by the end of this film you genuinely hope it has.
There have been some comparisons to 'Say Anything' which I am absolutely against - its nothing like it!!! I will agree that as a whole package it is very close to being just as good, but nothing will ever match Say Anything in the iconic pop culture stakes. I'm not going to say anymore, as I'll be here all day defending my beloved JC.
Miles Teller, playing Sutter Keely, really showcases his natural talent here, he's not the hilariously funny one, he's not the loser or the winner, he's just an average high school student, struggling with personal demons and dulling his anguish with alcohol. He's never shown as trying to be someone he's not - such an honest performance, its beautiful to watch and obviously largely improvised - even when he is being a proper shit bag, you still root for him, even in his darkest moments you can see he has a heart - that is why he's blowing up the way he is, he's mesmerising.
The whole movie has a very normal look to it, the use of the word normal is not me being lazy, it is just what it is. Everything is average, costumes, sets, locations etc its a depiction of everyday life that everyone can relate to, the director took Tim Tharp's novel and bought it to life with what looked like minimal effort but you can tell blood sweat and tears went into making this the painfully beautiful movie it is.
The whole supporting cast did their job and did it well; it’s hard to make an impact when you have limited screen time but each one did, I particularly loved the relationship between Miles Tellers character and his boss, played so lovingly by Bob Odenkirk - I suppose he was there to represent the father figure that was ever so achingly missing from Sutter's life. Their exchanges, although minimal, were a highlight for me because I just love a bromance.
The chemistry between the two leads in undeniable, that's probably why I hate her, there are such tender moments between them that are so true to life its gorgeous to witness.
Drama films are like the plain old biscuits at the bottom of the tin, that no one really wants but they eat anyway, just because they are there, there's usually no massive impact like a comedy or a horror, its just glimpses of everyday life and the situations people find themselves in but this is one film that I think everyone should see, everyone will find something of themselves in one of the characters or moments.