The Spectacular Now is a 2013 American romantic comedy-drama film on DVD, directed by James Ponsoldt, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (based on the novel of the same name by Tim Tharp), and starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it garnered critical acclaim.
Based on the beloved book by Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now is the story of Sutter Keely (Miles Teller), high school senior, effortless charmer, and self-proclaimed life of the party and of how he unexpectedly falls in love with the nice girl Aimee Fineky (Shailene Woodley). While Aimee dreams of the future, Sutter lives in the now. And yet somehow, they're drawn together. 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 directed by James Ponsoldt and 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.
The Spectacular Now Movie Reviews
“The focus in James Ponsoldt’s affecting, intelligent drama is a pair of teenagers, and in them is so much complexity and heart that this casually paced gem feels rich in scope. They’re two of the most carefully created figures on screen this year, and yet their normalness takes us by surprise.” New York Daily News
“Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, as high school seniors Sutter and Aimee, bring such an authentic face of confidence and questioning, indifference and need, pain and denial, friendship and first love, that it will take you back to that time if you're no longer there, and light a path if you are.” Los Angeles Times
“The movie captures the raw excitement and heartbreak of adolescence so completely that it manages to replace a seen-it-all jaded heart with the butterflies that accompany fresh experiences.” Washington Post
“This adaptation of Tim Tharp's novel, directed with delicate restraint by James Ponsoldt, sneaks up on you. It makes you laugh, then it breaks your heart.” Miami Herald
“The film is engrossing all the way through, the sweetest, saddest, most humane movie I've seen all year.” Minneapolis Star Tribune