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Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week.

The Spectacular Now
Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Jennifer Jason Leigh
Synopsis: Everyone has known that person who was the life of every party. The person who was always fun, seemed to take everything in stride and never took life too seriously. The problem is, at some point the party has to end. For Sutter (Teller) it’s time to take a hard look at how he wants to live his life. “The Spectacular Now,” a new teen drama, looks at those formative times when you’re trying to figure out who you want to be. It’s not the first film to tackle this subject, nor the best. Despite that, there is a certain appeal to the lead characters and the story. Based on the novel from Tim Tharp, the film follows a high school senior who’s the life of the party and doesn’t know how to buckle down and prepare for the future. It makes him popular in high school, but doesn’t leave him much of a future. By confronting his past and his issues, he’s forced to make some hard choices. It seems every year we get one or two of these type of teen films. Some are done better than others, but the general theme seems to be the rocky road to self-discovery. This film very much follows that same blueprint. It comes down to the lead performers, and in Teller and Woodley, “The Spectacular Now” scores. Teller does a great job in the lead role, carrying a bulk of the scenes in the film. His performance is layered and his expressive abilities convey wordless depth in a number of scenes. There is also a familiarity to his creation of the character that helps draw you into the story. Woodley also delivers a great performance. Having earned an Academy Award nomination for her work in “The Descendants,” Woodley is developing into a great young actress, and offers another layered performance here. The film also benefits from a strong supporting cast. Chandler, Leigh, Larson and Winstead all do good jobs in supporting roles in the film. “The Spectacular Now” does a good job of conveying the story, even if it’s not the best of this type of film. It has some strong performances and some great sequences, but as a whole it feels a little disjointed. There are some nice aspects to the film, but it doesn’t quite achieve the heights it aims to reach.
Rating: R for alcohol use, language and some sexuality — all involving teens. Enter with caution.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, September 6 — "Riddick"
Friday, September 13 — "Insidious, Chapter 2," "The Family"
Friday, September 20 — "Rush," "Prisoners," "Battle of the Year"
Friday, September 27 — "Baggage Claim," "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2," "Don Jon"

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