The Spectacular Now
Monday, March 30, 2015 |
| "The Spectacular Now" official still photo - source: imdb.com |
“It’s
fine to live in the now, but the best thing about now, is that there’s another
one tomorrow. It’s time to start making them count.” –Sutter Keely (The
Spectacular Now, 2013)
“Compared
to other kids, I haven’t had that many hardships. Not really. Shit’s happened ...,
stuff’s happened, sure, stuff always happens. But the real challenge of my life,
the real hardship is me. It’s always been me. As long as I can remember, I’ve
never not been afraid. Afraid of failure, of letting people down, hurting
everyone, getting hurt. I thought if I kept my guard up, focused on other
things, other people, if I couldn’t even feel it, well then no harm would come
to me. I screwed up. Not only did I shut out the pain, I shut out everything.
The good and the bad. Until there was nothing. I’m not gonna do that anymore.”
–Sutter Keely (The Spectacular Now, 2013)
“It’s
good to have dreams. Don’t you think?” –Aimee Finicky (The Spectacular
Now, 2013)
Title : The Spectacular Now
Director : James Ponsoldt
Starring : Miles Teller, Shailene
Woodley
Genre : drama, romance, comedy
Distributor : A24
Release
date : 2 August 2013
Running
time : 95 minutes
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| "The Spectacular Now" movie poster - source: imdb.com |
Several
days ago, I read an interesting thing that a friend of mine, Damas Nawanda,
wrote in his Facebook, and the credit goes to him. He said that he learnt there
are two kinds of people that can help you grow; first are they whose presence
forces you to become who you need to be, and second are they whose presence
will help you discover a better part of you. Furthermore, he stated that the
first kind will force you through your continuous effort to fix what you lack,
like plowing through the rainy days, knowing the sun would shine. And the
second kind will help you discover something you never thought you could do
before, like a nice surprise that can help you jump higher. Well, nicely
written, Dam! Anyway, I agree with his point of view. Indeed, people become a
grown-up not because they choose to be, but because they have to be; by force,
of situation, condition, surroundings, certain people. And indeed, people
become a grown-up not because they’re getting old by age, but because they
realize that they’re old enough to be; by discovery, of something new,
unpredictable, surprising, life-changing.
Coming-of-age
is an important phase in a human’s life. This phase is a stepping stone for us
to define who we really are and who we’re going to be. Everyone we meet during
this phase, will either become the person who forces us to become who we need
to be, or become the person who helps us discover a better part of us. Everyone
we know during this phase, whether it’s family, friends, teachers, lovers, will
make us grow as a person. Everything that happens during this phase, will
either forces us to become who we need to be, or helps us discover a better
part of us. Everything we experience during this phase, will make us grow as a
person. I know that I’ve already passed my coming-of-age, and I understand that
I’m still learning how to act like a grown-up, but, taking a look back at my
coming-of-age is always exciting. It was a great time; a spectacular one. If
only I were given a chance to go back, I would go back all the time. But still,
I wouldn’t change anything about it. Of course there’s this kind of ‘what if’
temptation. What if I didn’t do that? What if I chose this way? Would it be
different now? But still, everything happens for a reason, even when we haven’t
realized it yet. Things that had happened, things that I had been through, they
made me who I am today. Whether they’re good or bad memories, they’re the
spectacular yesterdays.
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| "The Spectacular Now" official still photo - source: imdb.com |
Talking
about all of this; growing up, coming-of-age; this reminds me of a movie I
watched some times ago. It’s a 2013 American coming-of-age movie titled “The
Spectacular Now”. And yes, this movie is today’s My Choices: Continue Living. It tells about the life of Sutter
Keely (portrayed by Miles Teller), during his senior year of high school. As
ordinary as an 18-year-old boy can be, he’s 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. He is also a budding alcoholic. His girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie
Larson), unable to cope with his alcoholism and lack of ambition, decides to
dump him for another boy, Marcus (Dayo Okeniyi). Drinking to numb his pain,
Sutter passed out on a stranger’s lawn. He’s awakened one morning after an
alcohol-induced blackout, by Aimee Finicky (portrayed by Shailene Woodley), a
girl who wears no makeup and reads science fiction and manga during her free time; a total opposite of Cassidy.
Aimee
is obviously attracted to Sutter, while Sutter himself still seems not to have
moved on yet from Cassidy; but as innocent as she can be, Aimee doesn’t realize
that. On one morning, Sutter wakes up and realizes that he asked Aimee to prom
while drunk. He avoids Aimee, knowing he can't commit to taking her to prom.
Aimees friend Krystal (Kaitlyn Dever) tells him not to treat Aimee badly as she
is a genuinely good person and doesn’t need Sutter hurting her. Sutter takes
her advice and asks Aimee to dinner with his estranged sister Holly (Mary
Elizabeth Winstead). At the dinner Aimee talks frankly about the death of her
father and her dreams of a perfect marriage, charming everyone including
Sutter. Sutter and Aimee begin to get serious, having sex for the first time.
Sutter buys Aimee a flask as a gift when they attend prom, and despite a moment
where Sutter dances with Cassidy, their night goes well. But then, Sutter
decides to meet his estranged father, without knowing that it would be his
life-changing moment.
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| "The Spectacular Now" official still photo - source: imdb.com |
“The
Spectacular Now”, for me personally, is a heart-warming movie. And I have to
give credit not only to the production team, but also for the actors. They
successfully brought their characters into life amazingly. Miles Teller was
spectacular in this movie! And Shailene Woodley too, she played her part as the
supporting actress very well. As ordinary teenagers that we’ve known and
(perhaps) we’ve been, they portrayed Sutter and Aimee perfectly. As down to
earth as it could be, as real as it could be, watching those two somehow
reminds me of my own senior year during high school; the atmosphere. It brings
me back to that time in life when I was trying to soak in every moment, because
everyone told me that there’s nothing better than the last year in high school.
Well, I have to say that my own senior year wasn’t as memorable, compared to
the last year in middle school, or in college. But still, it brings me there.
Especially when Aimee broke her arm, well, coincidentally I broke my arm during
the senior year too.
Other
than the characters, the storyline of “The Spectacular Now” hits me hard. It
brought the daily issues in a teenager’s life that everyone probably has
experienced. From the family issue until the romance issue, and the way how
Sutter dealt with them, this movie has a solid plot with some captivating
twists within it. Those problems are real, most of teenagers, not only in
America but also in my country, have been through that too. But sadly, not many
coming-of-age movies could portray that story like the way this movie did.
Moreover, the main attraction lies in the main problem that Sutter has to face
in this movie; a big decision he has to make in the senior year, a decision
that would lead to his future. As for this one, I believe, every person has
been through it before. Choosing what will you do after high school, deciding
what will you choose to define your future, and graduating high school is a
life-changing moment, and this, this is what leads to the next point I’m about
to talk, the moral of the story from this movie.
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| "The Spectacular Now" official still photo - source: imdb.com |
Watching
“The Spectacular Now” gave me reassurance about a thought; that ready or not
isn’t about time, it’s about the now, what happens now. If people were asked
before, then no one was ready to become a grown-up. If people were asked
before, then no one was ready to accept the reality. But when the reality hits
hard, that’s when we have to face it. Whether we’re ready or not, that’s when
we have to be ready for it. What’s coming is what we have to deal with. So,
here, becoming a more mature and responsible person is a demand instead of a
choice. No one is ready if they were asked about having a troubled father. But
when it turns out that you have one, then that’s what you have to deal with. No
one is ready if they were asked about graduating high school and choosing
whether go to college or find a job. But when it’s time to graduate, then
that’s what you have to face. And the change of behaviour that happens to a
teenager when they grow up is affected by two things; feeling and logic.
Sutter
was forced to become who he needed to be; it was his feeling that was touched
and it moved him. He was helped to discover a better part of him; it was his
logic that was triggered and it moved him. Through Sutter, and what he’s being
through in this movie, “The Spectacular Now” tried to tell us that we live in
the now, so make the best out of it. Everything that happens is a lesson, which
will whether force us or help us to grow up. Every choice we make, everything
we choose to do, it affects not only our present but also our future, so don’t
let the past ruins it, but let it be the counselor that guides you. Don’t be
afraid to make wrong choices, they’re also a lesson, which will whether force
us or help us to grow up. When there’s a will, there’s a way; simple saying it
is, but it’s true. There’s nothing such as too late, as long as you have the
will to make it right. So, while we’re living in the now, let’s make the best
out of it.
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| "The Spectacular Now" official still photo - source: imdb.com |
From
the scriptwriter of “(500) Days of Summer” (2009), Scott Neustadter and Michael
H. Weber, “The Spectacular Now” is based on the novel of the same name written
by Tim Tharp. It was premiered at the 2013
Sundance Film Festival on January 18th 2013, and was warmly received as it garnered
critical acclaim. Many critics praised the leads, Miles Teller and Shailene
Woodley, for showing a great chemistry as well as portraying their own
individual part in a very charming way. They also stated that this movie is a
rare one, for its ordinary yet extraordinary sincere storyline. Anyway, despite
what they said about this movie, it got me so, definitely. Like what Peter
Travers said about this movie; hits you
like a shot in the heart. The way it depicted teenager’s attitude about the
future, that reminds me somehow; everyone is eventually always growing up. At
every point in life, we have to seize the moment, or just let the moment seizes
us. And at some point in life, we have to make the choice.
“You
think beauty’s in some classroom or some textbook, and it’s not. That’s not
what it’s about. This right here, this is beautiful, all of this. That’s all
you need.” –Sutter Keely (The Spectacular Now, 2013)
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