The Beer Man Review of "The Spectacular Now" 2013 **1/2

    With sly humor and an intensity of feeling, THE SPECTACULAR NOW (directed by James Ponsoldt) creates a vivid, three-dimensional portrait of youth confronting the funny, thrilling and perilous business of modern love and adulthood. This is the tale of Sutter Keely (Miles Teller), a high school senior and effortless charmer, and of how he unexpectedly falls in love with "the good girl" Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley). What starts as an unlikely romance becomes a sharp-eyed, straight-up snapshot of the heady confusion and haunting passion of youth - one that doesn't look for tidy truths. The film was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber (500) DAYS OF SUMMER and also features wonderful supporting turns from Brie Larson, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. "Plot summary courtesy of www.rottentomates.com."

     I went into this movie blind.  My wife recommended this film to me so I did some research.  This movie has a 92% on Rottentomatoes.com.  Let me take this short minute to divulge my opinion of rottentomates.  For me as a movie fan this is my go to site and for the most part I have very much agreed with their ratings.  It gives me a great bookmark for the films I'm embarking on.  I'd say that I've agreed with rottentomatoes on a 70% grade ratio.  This film is rated R and classified as a comedy/drama/romance and runs 95 minutes beer transfer is 1 hour and 35 minutes.

    Beer sighting at first glance of this film, yes it's a beer I've mentioned before and apparently is gaining high regards as the American go to beer. It's PBR, and that's not professional bull riding, it's Pabst Blue Ribbon. Hell Yeah, go American beer.  This is a coming-of-age film, you see a young teenager choosing between what is a comfortable situation and a teenager dealing with issues he doesn't want to address with alcohol.  This movie paints a lot of good pictures of the goodness of growing up a naïve teenager but knowing that eventually you'll have to accept the good and bad of growing up. 

   This film delivers very well on the emotional side and connects you to the actors very well.  This is carried out thru great directing and great acting.  With all the positives I've said this is where the story disembarks for me.  There are many "spectacular" scenes in this film but although I was connected and invested at times with this film I had to fight thru the slowness of the film.  I fell in love with so many characters in this film, I was so invested, but I felt like we all showed up at 7/11 to get snacks or nachos or old hotdogs and all of a sudden everyone disappeared. 

     This is a coming-of-age film and if there weren't so many out it wouldn't bother me but since I've seen The Way Way Back I have to recommend it over this film.  This film had some very intense scenes and attacks life, for that I respect it but at times it was very slow.  There are so many stories that I wish would have been addressed more from certain siblings that were never really addressed and I wished we could have been more involved in Aimee Finicky's character which we were left hoping for more.  I do not recommend this film for kids I do recommend this film for teenagers.  For me this film was slow and very depressing at times.  I recommend a PBR for this film of course, it's not a bad film but it's a rare time I disagree with the rating on rottentomatoes.  As always be kind, drink beer, and rewind if you still have a VCR.

Justin "The Beer Man" Bryan