I didn’t like Sutter, the character who is the male lead in The Spectacular Now. But I got him. I didn’t want Aimee, the female lead, to like him as much as she did. But I understood her doing so. And the path he takes her on is anything but spectacular in the positive way. But it wasn’t a surprise.
The movie was great. The story was sad. Sure, there are moments of brightness. But the underlying thread of a young man who loses himself, his drive, and his ability to see a future, forgotten by an abhorrent father and, sadly, not seen clearly by his struggling, too-busy mother is rather depressing when you allow yourself to see what’s happening on the screen and in Sutter’s life.
When Sutter and Aimee connected, I admit that I wanted that Hollywood happy movie where she saves him from his budding alcoholism and risky behavior. Sadly, he sucks her down to the “fun” of his own demons. It’s hard to watch, but again, I got it. And I greatly appreciated that this movie didn’t gloss over Sutter’s difficulties by allowing the nice girl to suddenly rescue him. The movie does an excellent job of allowing the arc of their relationship to develop and play out.
And the end—-the end *was* spectacular. Of course, given what I said above and comparing that to what I’ve said about movies in the past, I’m hoping this does not give away what actually happens in the end. But let me say that I loved it.
See the movie, then we’ll chat more about that ending and why it said so much to me. The “now” may or may not be spectacular, but the movie was really good.