As a mom to two teenagers I know a bit or two about teenage drama. My kids often fail to remember that I was a teenager once too. I don’t think any teen’s life is exempt from some drama from time to time.
I don’t think I would want to be a teenager today. I think teens today have a lot more stresses then I did when I was a teen. The most rebellious thing I did was attend keg parties (beer) in the woods. These days kids are into hardcore booze, drugs, gang violence, relentless bullying and other things that leave me tossing and turning at night.
My daughter wants to know why we don’t trust her. It’s not HER we don’t trust – it’s her peers. I have heard and seen some really serious stuff.
I don’t recall teen alcoholics when I was a teenager, do you?
A new film that is available today on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download called The Spectacular Now showcases a teenage boy who clearly has issues. In almost every scene he’s drinking alcohol, yet sadly, the film doesn’t really address it much.
The Spectacular Now is based on the book with the same name.
The Spectacular Now is the story of high school senior Sutter Keely. Sutter is very liked by his peers. He is the life of the party where ever he goes. Sutter lives in the “now” with no thought to his future. That becomes very clear with his poor grades and constant drinking.
Sutter’s girlfriend, Cassidy, is fed up with his lack of ambition and alcohol abuse and dumps him, although they remain friends.
In order to deal with the breakout Sutter does what he does best – drinks. He drinks so much to numb the pain of the break up that he awakens to find himself sleeping in the middle of someone’s yard. He literally has no clue where he is or where his car is.
Aimee Finecky, one of Sutter’s classmates, happens up Sutter and offers to give him a ride to find his car. In return Sutter helps Aimee with her paper route.
Aimee is the opposite of Sutter. She’s shy, quite, doesn’t party and has never even had a boyfriend before.
To thank her for her help Sutter invites Aimee to lunch.
A friendship develops and Sutter invites Aimee to a party. While at the party he encounters Cassidy and her new boyfriend. Heartbroken he goes for a walk with Aimee. This is when Sutter introduces Aimee to alcohol.
Sutter and Aimee start a relationship. Aimee seems more into it than Sutter does.
In one of Sutter’s drunken moments he invites Aimee to the prom. Initially he wants to back out but decides to go through with it. He even buys Aimee her own flask (filled with alcohol) which pushes Aimee to drink and more. Even at prom Aimee is seen drinking and pouring alcohol from her flask into Sutter’s drink.
Sutter and Aimee find that they have something in common after all – both don’t have relationships with their father. Aimee’s father has passed away and Sutter’s father mysteriously disappeared after his parents separated and he doesn’t know where to find him. With the help of his sister, Sutter is able to locate his father. Sutter and Aimee head off to pay him a visit.
Sutter soon learns about the type of person his father really is. Sutter takes off after his father ditches him. Aimee tries to comfort him but he pushes her away – even going so far as to force her out of the car where she is hit by an on coming vehicle.
Will Aimee survive? Will Sutter learn to deal with is problem rather than drink to numb his pain? What will become of his after high school? To find out you need to pick up a copy of The Spectacular Now, available where most movies are sold.
I watched this movie with my 16 1/2 year old daughter who was home sick from school. I wish I had known up front that there was sex and nudity in the film. It’s a bit awkward to sit there with my child when scenes like that come on. I made her close her eyes.
I noticed right away that Sutter had a drinking problem. He almost always had a cup in his hand in every scene, or his flask. I wish the film would have addressed his obvious alcoholism, but it didn’t.
I also noticed the Sutter was always trying to help out others, but he never stopped to think about how he could help himself. He even tried to help Aimee make friends and find a boyfriend before their budding romance developed.
My daughter loved the movie and actually watched it a second time. She was ranting like a crazy person at the ending. She didn’t like he way it ended. There were way too many unanswered questions. I told her the filmmakers probably ended the film the way they did to keep the viewer guessing and for the view to come up with their own conclusions.
I thought the movie was just “OK”. I don’t find teenagers with a lot of “baggage” entertaining, nor am I a fan of seeing teens getting drunk and no one stepping in to stop it. Aside from the sex scene I think this film is geared more towards young adults rather than us “old folks”.
I guess it’s the mom in me but I was hoping Sutter’s alcohol abuse could have been dealt with. His boss was able to recognize his drinking problems, so why not his mother and sister? And if Aimee and Sutter’s ex-girlfriend Cassidy were such good girls, why didn’t they do something to help him. His boss should have stepped up and found the young man help – or at least pointed him in the right direction – especially after Sutter was honest with him and told him he couldn’t promise he wouldn’t show up for work ever again drunk.
If this sounds like a movie you would enjoy look for it where ever films are sold.
Here is the film’s theatrical trailer for your enjoyment. Keep in mind this was for the movie’s theater release. It’s no longer in theaters. It’s available for purchase of VOD today.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
M.Clark says
I ‘ve got to be honest, this is not something I would enjoy watching. I’m glad your were able to watch it with your daughter and she enjoyed it. I think from now on you should watch DVDs with the remote within easy reach and when there are inappropriate scenes, just fast forward it. Thank you for this review.
Annette says
I really want to watch this movie on DVD. It just seems super sweet and an overall solid coming of age film.