One of the popular kids in high school and a prom queen, Mavis is now a binge drinker, living in a cluttered Minneapolis high rise, who occasionally rouses herself to ghost-write another book in a once-popular young adult series. Her relationships are mainly limited to random encounters with random men (kept conspicuously faceless by Reitman, as she won’t remember them anyway). Mavis gets a jolt when she receives an email birth announcement from her now-married high school boyfriend Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson).
Reeling from a recent divorce, and steadfast in her belief that she and Buddy are meant to be together, Mavis decides to pack her bags (and her small dog Dolce), and return to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota. As soon as she arrives, Mavis puts a plan in action to steal Buddy away from his wife, Beth (Elizabeth Reaser).
Quickly keyed into Mavis’ delusion plan is Matt Frehauf (Patton Oswalt), a classmate she doesn’t remember, though his locker was right next to hers. Although he assaults Mavis with sarcasm, as they drink in a local dive or in his garage (where he distills high-grade bourbon that she swigs like its water), Matt is stuck in his own high school flashback. Severely beaten by jocks who believed he was gay, Matt is left hobbling around on a cane. He’s as frozen in time as Mavis is, wearing the band T-shirts of his youth, and tending to his action figure collection. Mavis and Matt find common ground in their disdain for the same things. However, unlike Mavis, Matt is trying to be positive about life in his own dark way, and doesn’t approve of Mavis’ willingness to hurt people.
Patrick Wilson’s Buddy is a kind, if slightly clueless guy. Watching Mavis throw herself at him in one over-the-top outfit after another, quickly goes from slightly humorous to embarrassing. Cody’s smart screenplay slowly pulls back the curtain on Mavis behavior. What initially appeared to be a case of an immature woman who never grew out of her high school mean girl phase, is eventually revealed to be a mentally ill person. The way Mavis is able to completely look past people, whether it’s Matt advising her to forget seducing the happily married Buddy, or Beth’s attempts at making conversation, it’s clear that she’s living in her own world. Mavis knows that the people around her are talking, but nothing they say can penetrate her self-centered world.
There is a scene at the end of the film that would suggest Mavis has a shot at experiencing reality, but Cody and Reitman refuse to give in to the desire for a nice and tidy Hollywood ending. Not having the assurance that Mavis will get the treatment she desperately needs is tough, but it also makes Young Adult seem more realistic.
Paramount’s 1.85:1, 1080p transfer is terrific. The muted, sepia tones are captured perfectly throughout. There is no artififacting, noise, or digital issues to speak of. The drab but clear look of things fits the film well.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is a solid one. Young Adult is a dialogue heavy film, and all the voices come through with fine clarity. There are no action moments that force the soundtrack to work particularly hard, but music always sounds full and clear.
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles are available.
The following special features are included:
- Audio Commentary: Director Jason Reitman, Director of Photography Eric Steelberg, and First Assistant Director/Associate Producer Jason A. Blumenfeld discuss the main themes and specifics of the plot. They reflect on shooting locations and the work of the cast.
- Misery Loves Company: The Making of Young Adult (1080p, 17:27): Cast and crew discuss the the plot, the writing style of Diablo Cody, the evolution of the script, assembling the cast, performances, and Jason Reitman’s directing style.
- The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene (1080p, 6:23): Diablo Cody shares her thoughts on the Mavis character, and then the piece looks at the process of shooting a scene from the film, intercut with cast and crew interview snippets and ending with a look at the completed scene.
- Q&A Featuring Janet Maslin & Jason Reitman at the Jacob Burns Film Center (1080p, 46:05): the two discuss pretty much anything and everything related to Young Adult. They also discuss the director’s favorite scenes, the scriptwriting process, the filmmaking process, character traits, the work of Diablo Cody, the appeal of Reitman’s own movies, screening the film for test audiences, and more. Reitman also fields questions from the audience. This is far more informative than the commentary.
- Deleted Scenes (1080p, 7:01): You Busy?, Good Boy, I’m Blocked, Munchies, Huge Shared Dream, and Are You Happy, Mavis?.
- UV Digital Copy.
