It all starts when Mavis opens an email. Her ex-boyfriend, Buddy, from high school and his now wife have just had a baby. Utterly disgusted by the thought of settling down or having a baby, Mavis decides to head back to her hometown to rescue and win back Buddy.
While there, she meets Matt, someone who queen bee Mavis never even noticed in high school. Overweight and handicapped, Matt seems to be a confidant but not a real person to Mavis, who rarely considers anyone but herself. Despite Matt's urging to leave Buddy be, Mavis comes quickly storming into his life with little regard for his wife or baby.
Young Adult is a hilarious comedy, but it is also dark. Charlize Theron portrays Mavis perfectly, and the audience alternates between disliking her and feeling sorry for her. Now in her thirties working as a writer, she is still stuck in high school, and has an entirely disproportionate sense of self. Downing alcohol throughout the film, she describes her dying book series as "disgustingly popular" and remains convinced that Buddy wants to start a new life with her.
The saddet part of Young Adult may be that it conforms more to real life than Hollywood movie standards. We don't see Mavis redeem or herself or have an epiphany; we only see her depicted as a real person, which makes the movie much more poignant.



