In 2003 Charlize Theron gave one of the most harrowing performances of all time in the
movie "Monster" for which she won the Oscar. It has been awhile since
she had a role where she could show her dramatic chops and she does that
in "Young Adult".

The title
could refer to the fact that Mavis is a ghost writer of young adult
novels or that she is a 37 year old, divorced, alcoholic who thinks she
is still the prom queen. She was one of the mean girls in high school
and now she is just a mean adult who comes back to her hometown to get
her prom king back even if he is happily married and just became a
father.

Charlize Theron, as Mavis, doesn't want or need the love/attention of her
parents, friends, old schoolmates because she has her dog, her booze and
just knows she will get her old boyfriend, Buddy, played by Patrick
Wilson, back as soon as he sees her.

Mavis
is not a nice person nor does she try to be and Theron doesn't shy away
from the audience not liking her even to the point when it is
explained, to a certain point, why she might be the way she is that she
won't get the sympathy she is crying for.

Mavis reaches out to Matt, played by Patton Oswalt,
who plays the star's best gay friend but he isn't gay even though he
was beaten up by school jocks, and crippled for life, who thought he
was. Matt joins Mavis on binges and he sees her as the girl he
worshipped from afar in school and now seems to be her equal and might
stand a chance.

Jason Reitman, the director, and Diablo Cody, the writer, make two mistakes, one that we know is coming and the other that can be interrupted in different ways which just stops the movie from being what it should/could have been.

Theron is outstanding and Oswalt is her match in the acting department. The rest of the supporting cast
doesn't really have a chance to stand out though Elizabeth Reaser as Wilson's wife, Jill Eikenberry and Richard Bekins as Mavis's parents are winning. Patrick Wilson doesn't really have much
to do and too dumb to be believable. I can't wait until the phase of
young actors thinking the unshaven look makes them look more masculine,
or for whatever reason they have that look, is over.

It is always good to watch an excellent actress in  a role that is worthy of her though the movie is not quite as first class.