The Spectacular Now

Last updated

The Spectacular Now
The Spectacular Now film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by James Ponsoldt
Screenplay by
Based onThe Spectacular Now
by Tim Tharp
Produced by
  • Tom McNulty
  • Shawn Levy
  • Michelle Krumm
  • Andrew Lauren
Starring
Cinematography Jess Hall
Edited byDarrin Navarro
Music by Rob Simonsen
Production
companies
Distributed by A24 [1]
Release dates
  • January 18, 2013 (2013-01-18)(Sundance)
  • August 2, 2013 (2013-08-02)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.5 million [3]
Box office$6.9 million [3]

The Spectacular Now is a 2013 American coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by James Ponsoldt, from a screenplay written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Tim Tharp. It stars Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley as high-schoolers Sutter and Aimee, whose unexpected encounter leads to a romance blossoming between the two. Brie Larson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Bob Odenkirk, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Kyle Chandler are featured in supporting roles.

Contents

The Spectacular Now premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the United States on August 2, 2013 where the film garnered critical acclaim, and grossed over $6 million worldwide. It received two nominations at the 29th Independent Spirit Awards: Best Female Lead (for Woodley) and Best Screenplay.

Plot

Sutter Keely is a charming and popular 18-year-old who has spent his senior year of high school partying and drinking alcohol. When his girlfriend Cassidy Roy breaks up with him, Sutter goes home and writes a college application supplement, in which he says that his biggest hardship in life has been getting dumped by her. Sutter then goes out and gets blackout drunk after sneaking into a bar.

The next morning, Sutter is woken up on a front lawn by Aimee Finecky, a girl in his year whose name he does not know. She is in the middle of her mother's paper route, so he joins her to track down his car.

The next day, Sutter asks Aimee to tutor him in geometry. He learns that she is smart, funny, and into sci-fi and comics. Sutter goes home and deletes the supplement he wrote about his life's biggest hardship.

Sutter takes Aimee to a party the next day, and they go for a walk and drink. She confesses she has never been drunk before, never had a boyfriend and does not think she can go to college because she has to take care of her mother. Sutter tells Aimee she is not responsible for her mother before complimenting and kissing her.

The next morning, Sutter wakes up hungover and realizes that he asked Aimee to prom at the party. He avoids her during school and goes to Cassidy's house that night. They get drunk in her room and reminisce, but Cassidy tells him they have no future together and asks him to leave.

After Aimee's friend warns Sutter not to hurt Aimee, he takes her to dinner at his sister Holly's house. There, Aimee talks frankly about the death of her father from an opiate overdose and her dreams of a perfect marriage.

Sutter and Aimee's relationship grows more serious and they eventually have sex. Afterward, he reveals that his mother Sara kicked his father Tommy out when he was a child and has forbidden Sutter from seeing him, and the pair makes a pact to stand up to their mothers.

On prom night, Sutter gifts Aimee a flask so they can drink together. After the dance, she tells him that she is going to college in Philadelphia near her sister, who can help her find an apartment and a job. Aimee asks Sutter to come with her and go to junior college, and he hesitantly agrees.

Sutter gets his father's phone number from Holly and arranges to meet up to attend a baseball game, bringing Aimee with him. Tommy answers the door, under the influence, and admits he forgot about their plans and instead takes them to a local bar. Midway through the night, Tommy picks up a woman, asks Sutter to pick up the tab and to meet him back at his motel. But when he fails to arrive, they find him immediately back at the bar drinking with his friends. Sutter and Aimee leave, heartbroken.

Aimee attempts to comfort Sutter and says she loves him, but he, angry and drunk, snaps at her. After almost causing an accident, he tells her he is bad for her and forces her out of the car. Aimee, crying and not paying attention to the road, is clipped by a passing car. Aimee's arm is broken but she forgives Sutter for the incident.

After their graduation ceremony, Sutter refuses to drink with Aimee and talks to Cassidy, who tells him that she is moving to California with her boyfriend. Later, Sutter's boss tells him he can only afford to keep one employee and would like to keep Sutter, who is good with customers, but only if he no longer keeps working drunk. Unable to guarantee his sobriety, he quits.

Sutter drives past Aimee, who is waiting for him by the bus to Philadelphia, leaving her heartbroken. He gets drunk at a bar, drives home and runs over his mailbox. After an argument with Sara, Sutter reassesses his life and completes the personal statement for his college application, despite having missed the submission deadline.

Sutter confesses that his biggest hardship is himself and his insistence to only live in the moment. He drives to Philadelphia and finds Aimee as she is leaving class. They make eye contact, and Aimee smiles ambivalently before the scene cuts.

Cast

Production

The rights to the novel were first acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures in 2009. Marc Webb, who had already directed Neustadter and Weber's script for 500 Days of Summer , was set to direct the film. [4] According to Ponsoldt, Webb left the film to work on The Amazing Spider-Man , and Searchlight lost the rights after that. [5]

Principal photography commenced in Athens, Georgia, in July 2012 and wrapped a month later. [6] While the novel is set in Oklahoma, director James Ponsoldt preferred to shoot in his hometown; [6] he explained:

The script didn't identify where it was set – the setting just wasn't a big city. It felt vaguely suburban – or kind of like a college town. It seemed to me that the script had a sense of place in the way that Breaking Away did. Athens was such an obvious candidate as a setting to shoot the film in – and it was really the only place I wanted to make the film. Filming in Athens was incredibly meaningful to me. We shot in the streets and houses of my childhood! [7]

Reception

Box office

The Spectacular Now opened in limited release in North America on August 2, 2013, in four theaters and grossed $197,415 with an average of $49,354 per theater and ranking #30 at the box office. The film's wide release was in 770 theaters and it ended up earning $6.9 million domestically and an additional $63,980 elsewhere for a total of $6.9 million, against its $2.5 million budget. [3]

Critical response

The Spectacular Now was warmly received at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 172 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Spectacular Now is an adroit, sensitive film that avoids typical coming-of-age story trappings." [8] On Metacritic the film has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [9]

Roger Ebert, in one of the last reviews of his life, awarded the film the last four stars in his life, stating in his review:

Here is a lovely film about two high school seniors who look, speak and feel like real 18-year-old middle-American human beings. Do you have any idea how rare that is? They aren't crippled by irony. They aren't speeded up into cartoons. Their sex lives aren't insulted by scenes that treat them cheaply [...] What an affecting film this is. It respects its characters and doesn't use them for its own shabby purposes. How deeply we care about them. Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are so there. Being young is a solemn business when you really care about someone. Teller has a touch of John Cusack in his Say Anything period. Woodley is beautiful in a real person sort of way, studying him with concern, and then that warm smile. We have gone through senior year with these two. We have known them. We have been them. [10]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times also gave the film four stars out of four, describing it as "the best American movie of the year so far". He summarized his review by adding: "The Spectacular Now will bring you back to that time in your life when you were trying to soak in every moment, because everyone told you there's nothing better than your last year in high school." [11] In The Hollywood Reporter , critic Todd McCarthy called the film "a sincere, refreshingly unaffected look at teenagers and their attitudes about the future... Ordinary in some ways and extraordinary in others, The Spectacular Now benefits from an exceptional feel for its main characters on the parts of the director and lead actors." [12]

Dana Stevens of Slate also praised both the leads, commenting that "Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley have such a disarmingly direct and spontaneous connection as actors that Sutter and Aimee almost immediately come to seem like a couple you've known (or been part of) at some point in your life... The Spectacular Now captures the beauty and scariness and lacerating intensity of first love". [13] Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman described it as "one of the rare truly soulful and authentic teen movies." He compared it favorably to Say Anything... and The Perks of Being a Wallflower , saying "like them, it's a movie about the experience of being caught on the cusp and truly not knowing which way you'll land." [14]

In Variety , critic Rob Nelson wrote: "The scars and blemishes on the faces of the high-school lovers in The Spectacular Now are beautifully emblematic of director James Ponsoldt's bid to bring the American teen movie back to some semblance of reality, a bid that pays off spectacularly indeed." [15] Cinema Blend called it "the rare Sundance coming-of-age story that feels like it matters", [16] adding: "The Spectacular Now is an instant MVP of the first half of the festival, with potential breakout hit written all over it... you'll be hearing a lot about this one down the road, and it's got the goods to live up to the hype." Phoebe Reilly of Spin called the film "the next great teen movie" and "truly remarkable". She acclaimed Teller and Woodley for their "absurdly natural performances", with Sutter "uniquely irresistible" and Aimee "a perfect repertoire of nervous giggles and awkward mannerisms." [17]

Accolades

At the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, The Spectacular Now received the Special Jury Award for Acting. [18]

List of awards and nominations
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResult
Alliance of Women Film Journalists [19] December 16, 2013Best Adapted Screenplay Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance Shailene Woodley Nominated
Best Depiction of Nudity, Sexuality or Seduction AwardShailene Woodley and Miles Teller Nominated
Gotham Awards [20] December 2, 2013 Best ActressShailene WoodleyNominated
Independent Spirit Awards [21] March 1, 2014 Best Screenplay Scott Neustadter and Michael H. WeberNominated
Best Female Lead Shailene WoodleyNominated
National Board of Review [22] December 4, 2013 Top Ten Independent FilmsThe Spectacular NowWon
San Diego Film Critics Society [23] December 11, 2013 Best Supporting Actress Shailene WoodleyWon
San Francisco Film Critics Circle [24] December 15, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Scott Neustadter and Michael H. WeberNominated
Seattle International Film Festival [25] June 9, 2013Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave FeatureThe Spectacular NowWon
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association [26] December 16, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Scott Neustadter and Michael H. WeberNominated
Sundance Film Festival January 26, 2013 Special Jury Award for Acting Miles Teller and Shailene WoodleyWon
Grand Jury Prize: U.S. DramaticJames PonsoldtNominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association [27] December 9, 2013 Best Adapted Screenplay Scott Neustadter and Michael H. WeberNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Elizabeth Winstead</span> American actress (born 1984)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was that of Jessica Bennett on the NBC soap opera Passions (1999–2000). She came to wider attention for her roles in the horror series Wolf Lake (2001–2002), the horror films Final Destination 3 (2006) and Death Proof (2007), and the slasher film Black Christmas (2006); by the end of the 2000s she had gained a reputation as a scream queen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shailene Woodley</span> American actress (born 1991)

Shailene Diann Woodley is an American actress. She first gained prominence for her starring role as Amy Juergens in the ABC Family teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013). She then starred in the films The Descendants (2011) and The Spectacular Now (2013), receiving a nomination for her first Golden Globe Award for the former.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just a Little Bit (Kids of 88 song)</span> 2010 single by Kids of 88

"Just a Little Bit" is the second single from electropop band Kids of 88. This song was released digitally through the New Zealand iTunes Store on 15 February 2010.

<i>The Descendants</i> 2011 drama film directed by Alexander Payne

The Descendants is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne. The screenplay by Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash is based on the 2007 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. The film stars George Clooney in the main role, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller in her film debut, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Forster, and was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the United States on November 18, 2011, after premiering at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Ponsoldt</span> American film director, actor and screenwriter

James Ponsoldt is an American film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed the drama films Off the Black (2006) and Smashed (2012), the romantic comedy-drama The Spectacular Now (2013), and the dramas The End of the Tour (2015) and The Circle (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Teller</span> American actor (born 1987)

Miles Alexander Teller is an American actor. He made his feature film debut with the independent drama Rabbit Hole (2010), and gained wider recognition for his roles in the coming-of-age film The Spectacular Now (2013) and the Divergent film trilogy (2014–2016). His breakthrough role came in the drama Whiplash (2014) which earned him critical acclaim.

<i>Divergent</i> (film) 2014 film by Neil Burger

Divergent is a 2014 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Neil Burger, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. The film is the first installment in The Divergent Series and was produced by Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, and Pouya Shahbazian, with a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, and Maggie Q. The story takes place in a dystopian and post-apocalyptic Chicago where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues. Beatrice Prior is warned that she is Divergent and thus will never fit into any one of the factions. Soon, she learns that a sinister plot is brewing in the seemingly perfect society.

<i>Smashed</i> (film) 2012 film directed by James Ponsoldt

Smashed is a 2012 American drama film directed by James Ponsoldt, written by Ponsoldt and Susan Burke, and starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul. Winstead and Paul play a married couple, Kate and Charlie Hannah, both alcoholics. After a series of embarrassing incidents caused by her drinking habit, Kate decides to get sober with the help of a coworker and a sponsor from Alcoholics Anonymous.

<i>White Bird in a Blizzard</i> 2014 French film

White Bird in a Blizzard is a 2014 art drama thriller film co-produced, written, directed and edited by Gregg Araki and starring Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, and Angela Bassett. Based on the novel of the same name by Laura Kasischke, the film follows several years in the life of teenager Katrina "Kat" Connors (Woodley), beginning on the day her mother, Eve (Green), disappeared and the effect this event has on her and the people of her life, frequently alternating between the present time and flashbacks. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014 before being given a limited theatrical release on October 24, 2014.

<i>The Fault in Our Stars</i> (film) 2014 romantic drama film

The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 American coming-of-age romance film directed by Josh Boone from a screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by John Green. The film stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, with Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Nat Wolff, and Willem Dafoe in supporting roles. The story centers on a sixteen-year-old cancer patient, played by Woodley, forced by her parents to attend a support group, where she meets and subsequently falls in love with another cancer patient, played by Elgort.

<i>Whiplash</i> (2014 film) 2014 film by Damien Chazelle

Whiplash is a 2014 American psychological drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, starring Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, and Melissa Benoist. It focuses on an ambitious music student and aspiring jazz drummer (Teller), who is pushed to his limit by his abusive instructor (Simmons) at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory in New York City.

The 18th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards were announced on December 11, 2013.

The Divergent Series is an American dystopian science fiction action film series based on the Divergent novels by the American author Veronica Roth. Distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Films, the series is set in a dystopian society: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. They have been produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian, and Douglas Wick.

<i>The Divergent Series: Insurgent</i> 2015 film by Robert Schwentke

The Divergent Series: Insurgent is a 2015 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Robert Schwentke, based on the 2012 novel Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. It is the sequel to the 2014 film Divergent and the second installment in The Divergent Series, produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian and Douglas Wick, with a screenplay by Brian Duffield, Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback. Schwentke took over from Neil Burger as director, with Burger serving as the executive producer of the film. Along with the first film's returning cast, led by Shailene Woodley and Theo James, the sequel features supporting actors Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Suki Waterhouse, Rosa Salazar, Daniel Dae Kim, Jonny Weston, Emjay Anthony, and Keiynan Lonsdale.

<i>Adrift</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Baltasar Kormákur

Adrift is a 2018 survival drama film produced and directed by Baltasar Kormákur and written by David Branson Smith, Aaron Kandell, and Jordan Kandell. The film is based on the 2002 book Red Sky in Mourning by Tami Oldham Ashcraft, a true story set during the events of Hurricane Raymond in 1983. The film stars Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin as a couple who are adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean after a hurricane, and must find their way to Hawaii with a damaged boat and no radio.

<i>The Last Letter from Your Lover</i> 2021 British film

The Last Letter from Your Lover is a 2021 British romantic drama film directed by Augustine Frizzell and written by Nick Payne and Esta Spalding, based on Jojo Moyes' 2011 novel of the same name. It stars Felicity Jones, Callum Turner, Joe Alwyn, Nabhaan Rizwan and Shailene Woodley.

<i>The Mauritanian</i> 2021 legal drama film directed by Kevin Macdonald

The Mauritanian is a 2021 legal drama film based on the memoir of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held from 2002 to 2016 without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a United States military prison. The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald based on a screenplay written by M.B. Traven, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, adapted from Slahi's 2015 memoir Guantánamo Diary. It stars Tahar Rahim as Slahi, and also features Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Zachary Levi in supporting roles.

<i>The Fallout</i> (film) 2021 film by Megan Park

The Fallout is a 2021 American drama film written and directed by Megan Park in her feature film directorial debut. It stars Jenna Ortega as Vada Cavell, a high school student who navigates significant emotional trauma following a school shooting. It also stars Maddie Ziegler, Julie Bowen, John Ortiz, Niles Fitch, Will Ropp, and Shailene Woodley in supporting roles. The score is composed by American musician and actor Finneas O'Connell.

<i>Spiderhead</i> 2022 American film by Joseph Kosinski

Spiderhead is a 2022 American sci-fi psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Kosinski, with a screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, based on the dystopian short story "Escape from Spiderhead" by George Saunders and first published in The New Yorker. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, and Jurnee Smollett. The story follows inmates in a luxurious prison who participate in experiments involving mind-altering drugs. Principal photography took place in Australia in 2020.

<i>To Catch a Killer</i> (2023 film) American film by Damián Szifron

To Catch a Killer is a 2023 American crime thriller film directed by Damián Szifron and written by Szifron and Jonathan Wakeham. It stars Shailene Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn, Jovan Adepo and Ralph Ineson. In the film, a talented but troubled young Baltimore cop is recruited by the FBI to help profile and track down a murderer. The film marks Szifron's English-language debut.

References

  1. Fleming, Mike (January 21, 2013). "Sundance: A24 Buys 'The Spectacular Now'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  2. "View Title | Australian Classification". Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Spectacular Now (2013)". Boxoffice Mojo. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  4. Jones, Michael (January 21, 2009). "Marc Webb to direct 'Spectacular'". Variety. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  5. Goldberg, Matt (August 7, 2013). "Director James Ponsoldt Talks THE SPECTACULAR NOW, the Casting Process, PIPPIN, RODHAM, Sentimentality vs. Nostalgia, and More". Collider. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Gallant, Andre (June 28, 2012). "New film preps to shoot in Athens". Athens Banner-Herald . Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  7. Wardell, Gabe (January 31, 2013). "Catching up with Georgia filmmaker James Ponsoldt, whose latest feature just conquered Sundance". Creative Loafing . Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  8. "The Spectacular Now". Rotten Tomatoes .
  9. "The Spectacular Now". Metacritic .
  10. Ebert, Roger (August 2, 2013). "The Spectacular Now". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  11. "blog.richardroeper.com » Blog Archive » REVIEW: "The Spectacular Now"". blog.richardroeper.com.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. McCarthy, Todd (January 20, 2013). "The Spectacular Now: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  13. Stevens, Dana (August 1, 2013). "The Spectacular Now". Slate .
  14. Gleiberman, Owen (January 25, 2013). "Sundance: 'The Spectacular Now' is a lovely and original teen movie. 'A.C.O.D.' is the comedy that Adam Scott fans have been waiting for". Entertainment Weekly .
  15. Nelson, Rob (January 19, 2013). "Review: "The Spectacular Now"". Variety . Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  16. Rich, Katey (January 19, 2013). "The Spectacular Now: The Rare Sundance Coming-Of-Age Story That Feels Like It Matters". Cinema Blend. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  17. Reilly, Phoebe (January 20, 2013). "The Next Great Teen Movie Premieres at Sundance: 'The Spectacular Now'". Spin . Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  18. "2013 Sundance Film Festival Announces Feature Film Awards". Sundance.org. January 26, 2013. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  19. "2013 EDA Award Nominees". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  20. Pond, Steve (October 24, 2013). "'12 Years a Slave' Leads Gotham Awards Nominations". The Wrap. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  21. Kilday, Gregg (November 26, 2013). "'12 Years a Slave,' 'Nebraska' Dominate Spirit Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  22. "National Board of Review Announces 2013 Award Winners". The National Board of Review. December 4, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  23. Posner, Jay (December 11, 2013). "SD Film Critics name best of 2013". U-T San Diego . Retrieved December 15, 2013.
  24. Stone, Sasha (December 13, 2013). "San Francisco Film Critics Nominations". Awards Daily. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  25. Marx, Jessica (June 9, 2013). "SIFF ANNOUNCES 2013 COMPETITION & GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AUDIENCE AWARDS". Seattle International Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  26. Venhaus, Lynn (December 9, 2013). "St. Louis Film Critics choose their award nominees". Belleville News-Democrat . Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  27. Tapley, Kristopher (December 8, 2013). "'12 Years a Slave' and 'Her' lead the way with Washington D.C. critics nominations". HitFix . Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2013.