For some, high school was a period of self-discovery where we would shape ourselves into the people we would become in our adult age. Along the way, however, we faced new challenges everyday, whether they involved girls, parties, school work, etc. For others, high school was a cesspool of debauchery that we didn’t want to take part of, where we honed our talents and skills to prepare for college and beyond. Whether you peaked or flourished in high school, it’s a rite of passage 99% of us go through on our way to growing up.
In James Ponsoldt’s (Smashed) upcoming film, The Spectacular Now (based off of the novel of the same name by Tim Tharp), Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is living it up during his Senior year of high school, doing everything he can in the eponymous “spectacular now.” However, when a change in his lifestyle occurs and he meets a classmate named Aimee (Shailene Woodley), a girl who lives a completely different life from him, Sutter begins to wonder if living for the moment is really the path he wants to take in life.
The Spectacular Now is indie film bait with the common trope of self-discover, coming of age themes, but that’s exactly what I’m attracted to. With both Teller and Woodley receiving actor awards following the film’s premiere at Sundance, I’m definitely interested in the film, which will be coming to theaters this August.
