Happy Boxing Day! Here's an unrelated movie!
Sutter (Miles Teller) is a high school alcoholic. His girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larson), dumps him so while he's waiting for her to come back, he takes up with Aimee (Shailene Woodley), a shy, bookish girl who just needs to live a little.
This felt like a story I had heard 1000 times before. Sutter isn't particularly unique, or likable, or sympathetic. Aimee is a cardboard cutout of a character, with no sense of independent existence outside of Sutter's influence. Teller and Woodley are fine performers, they're just not given any material to really work with in this instance. It's a dime-a-dozen melodrama, saved only from being a Hallmark Channel original by centering on Sutter. That, and the incredible supporting cast of Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Lee, Bob Odenkirk, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
We all know that character dramas are not my favorite. Maybe they're yours. Maybe you enjoy the tragedy of wasted potential. If so, The Spectacular Now is streaming on HBO Max. Go for it.
Next weekend is my end of year list (along with everyone else's) where we look forward to watching new stuff! Let's see what fresh horrors 2023 holds!
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