The Spectacular Now: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) lives in the now. It’s a good place for him. A high school senior, charming and self-possessed, he’s the life of the party, loves his job at a men’s clothing store, and has no plans for the future. A budding alcoholic, he’s never far from his supersized, whiskey-fortified thirst-master cup. But after being dumped by his girlfriend, Sutter gets drunk and wakes up on a lawn with Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley) hovering over him. She’s different: the “nice girl” who reads science fiction and doesn’t have a boyfriend. While Amy has dreams of a future, Sutter lives in the impressive delusion of a spectacular now, yet somehow, they’re drawn together.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from this but I’m usually a sucker for “Coming of Age” films. The majority of us have had the same issues growing up so it was already easily identifiable. I really don’t want to call this film a dramedy because it’s so cliche. It’s basically a drama with comedy thrown in here and there to lighten the mood a bit. This film tackles a couple of different issues all in one movie. From young relationships and alcoholism to abandonment and your typical teen angst, this film has a bit of everything. You would think that it would bog down the film but it’s so well written and paced that it all flows just right. Teller has grown so much as an actor in his recent roles and this shows just how much he has. His onscreen appeal is undeniable and I think a lot of it is because of his ability to be such a smooth talker. It’s that quality that makes his character seem so real and makes you keep your eyes on everything he does. He also showed a more serious side and after seeing just how dark and emotional he can go I’m convinced that he is Hollywood’s next “IT” guy. Woodley gave an equally great performance as well. She pushed her abilities to another level, somewhere vulnerable and emotional which made the story that much more compelling. The film turned out to be something that I wouldn’t have expected at all and that was an extremely welcomed surprise. This is a must see film that will hit you with so many thought provoking moments and when it’s over the only word that will pop in your head is going to be……..”Damn.”. It’s purchase worthy for sure.
Special Features:
Then to Now: Making The Spectacular Now – A fantastic four part behind the scenes feature that gives you a look at the film as well seeing cast and crew interviews regarding their experiences on set.
Deleted Scenes – A pretty good amount of scenes here but with this film already streamlined as much as it was then the inclusion of any of these scenes would’ve slowed it down.
