The Spectacular Now

The movie wasn't smart enough to deal with the interesting protagonists it started with, and so it reverted to trope.

There are scenes, moments, and dialogue in this film that ring so true that it all comes rushing back, a flood of memories and emotions and a little bit of pain.

[Ponsoldt] enjoys playing with our expectations by following conventions, luring us into the sense that we know what's coming, and then swerving just a little off-road for a detour.

[A] nuanced and unsentimental coming-of-age film.

Teller and Woodley hum together, and the movie does their performances justice.

This coming-of-age movie should appeal to smart, sensitive young people who haven't been exposed to the better examples of the genre.

The beauty of watching The Spectacular Now is that Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are just living in the moment, in the now.

Nothing about this film is spectacular, and that's what makes it worth watching. It's an honest look at the typical teenager, without the polished dialogue and overly-sexualized relationships seen in other teen-centered films.

One of the interesting things about “The Spectacular Now” is how it employs several familiar plot points, but it treats each of them with a fresh and prudent sincerity.

As a result of this diffuseness and its focus on individual moral or emotional choices, The Spectacular Now, probably without wishing to, drifts into a sort of conformism.