The Spectacular Now

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First here's a little synopsis of the movie for those of you who don't know what it is. This is an honest movie about two 18 year old teenagers who fall in love. But this isn't your typical cheesy teen love story. This film shows what appear to be two real kids, not actors portraying what we think love should be but how it really is. Sutter (Miles Teller) lives with his mom who wont tell him anything about his dad and wont even let him call him. Sutter is your typical popular kid who parties and drinks but is very tormented by his home life. Then there is Amy (Shailene Woodley) your quiet teenager who doesn't really have a lot of friends. Amy also lives with just her mom but it is because her father has passed away. This movie simply follows these two teens as they discover each other and what's really important in their lives. I'm going to keep this synopsis short because I don't want to give anything away.

Now, I gave this movie a 4 out of 5 because it truly was spectacular! The characters were so relatable and real on the screen that it almost made you forget you were just watching a movie. Visually there wasn't a whole lot to this movie. The director said he filmed it in his home town to keep things simple. I think it was a great choice to keep it simple because it makes it feel very real like something you experienced from high school yourself. What I loved most about this movie, though, was how connected I felt to the two main characters, Sutter and Amy. They both seemed to be so happy to be together and I believed it. When actors can make you truly believe them then you know there is something special about the movie. I've heard a lot of people are comparing The Spectacular Now with The Perks of being a Wallflower. I'm not sure you really can compare these films. They both have such different stories and different characters that it doesn't even seem fair to compare the two. Both are amazing films in their own ways.

Finally, I have some pictures to share with you guys from Eberfest where I saw this amazing film. I was lucky enough to meet Shailene Woodley and I just have to say she is one of the sweetest, most humble people I have ever met. She was in an ABC Family series called The Secret Life of the American Teenager and made her big debut in The Descendant's starring opposite George Clooney. Right now she is filming in Chicago for a book turned to a movie called Divergent. She will be playing the main character Tris. I also had the pleasure of meeting the director James Ponsoldt who was equally as humble and awesome. He is best known for his film Smashed which came out last year.