MOVIE REVIEW

I wouldn't necessarily call James Ponsoldt's “The Spectacular Now” a brilliant movie. Still this drama has the right amount of humour and romance to make it perfect for a night in or just to pass some otherwise idle time.

“The Spectacular Now” has a very ordinary plotline, the classic tale of 'boy meets girl'. However, this movie shines because of its simplicity. The story revolves around Sutter Keely, a confident, charming and occasionally very flawed teenager who takes an interest in the shy and low-key Aimee. According to Sutter, Aimee is clueless, so, he takes it upon himself to show Aimee the typical teenage life revolving around parties and first loves, before letting her go forth and prosper.

The movie stars Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley -- the former doing a pretty good job of playing a 17 year old, since he's actually 26. Woodley's performance is commendable too; she delivers the part of the naïve, social reject in high school effortlessly. Aside from its predictability, the movie's dramatic elements seem strained as well, but the sincerity in the acting makes up for it to some extent.

The location and cinematography were very simple and nicely done, resulting in the movie successfully achieving a classic feel. The soundtrack consisted of the works of a few underrated bands, and it worked very well. Overall, “The Spectacular Now” is another coming-of-age story that may not necessarily bring anything new to the table, but it surely is a decent watch and the writers of “500 days of Summer” won't disappoint.