Young Adult

Leaving behind Juno's snarky but sweet sensibilities, director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody reteam for the cutting comedy Young Adult. Charlize Theron is a force to be reckoned with as YA author Mavis Gary, a mean girl who has grown older, but not up. Upon discovering that her old beau Buddy (Patrick Wilson) has a new baby, Mavis leaves her life in Minneapolis behind and returns to her folksy Minnesotan hometown to romantically reconnect and rescue Buddy from his surely humdrum existence. Like the teens she writes about, Mavis has a stubbornly self-absorbed and overdramatic view of the world that drives her to a climax that is immediately jarring, yet ultimately daring. Along the way, this steely queen bee delivers wickedly funny backhanded compliments and flat-out insults to even her closest friend, a bitter bookkeeper played with a surly depth by Patton Oswalt. Young Adult is stocked with spot-on performances, but Theron's razor-sharp portrayal, full of vicious barbs and sneers, is absolutely electrifying. Fearlessly embracing her inner bitch, she deftly creates the rare antiheroine who is both deeply unlikeable, yet undeniably relatable. Likewise, Young Adult is unique—smart and hilarious in a way that's often unsettling.