Spencer Coile stops by Your Favorite Movie! Spencer teaches communication and Popular Culture at Ball State University. In his classes, Spencer challenges his students to think critically about everything from representation and queer theory to reality tv and Real Housewives. Spencer is an accomplished writer on the subject of film. He has written for Film Inquiry and maintains a popular Letterboxd account for those in the know. Spencer was an incalculable influence on my burgeoning film taste in college, introducing me to so many fantastic films, including the one we will discuss today. Our trips to see movies like Gravity and Mad Max: Fury Road at the Small were absolutely formative for me.
Spencer’s favorite movie is the 2011 black comedy-drama Young Adult. Young Adult introduces us to Mavis Gary, a ghostwriter for a popular YA book series who begins to experience writer’s block. Her solution? Return to her small Minnesota hometown and win back the affections of her high school sweetheart, Buddy. The fact that Buddy has a wife and infant daughter at home is of little concern to Mavis. This narrative raises thought provoking questions about mental illness, stunted adult development, and audience’s acceptance of unlikeable female characters. Charlize Theron stars as Mavis and gives one of the most profound performances of her career - on par with her Oscar-winning turn in Monster. Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, and Elisabeth Reaser also give career-best performances in supporting roles. Teaming up with the critically lavished Juno team of screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman, Young Adult was teed up to be another award season darling. However, it was ignored by most major awards associations and performed only modestly at the box office. Let's find out why...
