This is a particularly odd movie, in a good way. Each time you think it’s going to resolve something in a standard way, it sidesteps it. It’s like the anti “meet cute” and anti “romcom” movie.

Writing: Diablo Cody has a knack for writing either sarcastic or narcissistic female characters. For this movie, she has written a mildly alcoholic and depressed female lead – a former high school prom queen who has grown very little since. In most movies, this character would change by the end and become a more relatable character. But not in this movie. Just when you think it’s going to fall into genre standard resolutions, it’s zags in the other direction. If there’s anything to character learns, it’s that she learns to accept what she is.

Production: Director Jason Reitman is one of my favorite directors. This is probably the lesser of his films, and is one I still liked a lot. There is pretty much no style or flash to this film, which I’m sure is intentional. Like the lead character, who constantly wanders around in a state of lackadaisical bewilderment, so does the film float adrift in near disinterest in things. It’s casually and statically filmed, and it works. Reitman does have a little fun with a loving tribute to the audio cassette (of all things) for the opening title sequence. Not his greatest opening title sequence, but cute and amusing none-the-less.

Cast: Charlize Theron should be up for an award for her performance. I’ve always admired actresses who commit so completely that they are unafraid of looking downright disheveled. There’s a running bit where her character wakes up looking dazed and chugs Diet Coke from a 2 liter bottle. It’s a less-than-flattering character that Theron embraces fully. It’s also a hard character to sympathize with, yet Theron somehow pulls it off, right up to the end. It’s quite an accomplishment. Patton Oswalt does a nice job with his also-shiftless role who hasn’t really grown up. It’s another role that in less capable hands wouldn’t be particularly sympathetic. Patrick Wilson has an easier role, as the noble good guy character. The rest of the supporting cast does a nice job as well.

Music: Rolfe Kent is not just a very talented composer, but he’s also the go-to choice for director Jason Reitman. He applies his typical sense of whimsy and texture to the score. I always look forward to his scores, and this one manages to mine a good amount of material from the film. For an intentionally dry and static styled film, it must be a challenge finding a sense of musical character and style. Kent has a history of working in indie character films, and as usual was up to the challenge.