Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93/100
Positive: http://www.miami.com/039the-spectacular-now039-r-article
Negative: http://nypost.com/2013/08/02/like-a-spectacular-hangover/
In the first review, which praises the movie, the writer uses a longer format to very vaguely describe the elements and storyline of the film, without giving anything away. It talks about the work of the directors and writers, and includes information about how the film was adapted from a novel. I like that it talks about the style and performance of the actors who play the main characters, Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. This review says that they both gave outstanding performances, which would definitely make someone want to watch the movie. The reviewer focused on how the film seems like it would be a cliché teenage love story, but it actually defies expectations and takes surprising turns which you would not normally find in a film with this kind of storyline. This review also references the movies that the people involved in it had been involved in previously, and compares it to the other film that the writers wrote, 500 Days of Summer.
The second review, the negative one, mainly criticizes the movie for its portrayal of alcoholism and basically saying that it doesn't have any consequences and is okay for teenagers. This is a shorter review that mainly criticizes that one aspect of the movie with little focus on anything else. It's more streamlined, which helps the reader understand the main flaw of the movie. It also talks about the main actress, Shailene Woodley, and her past work as well as what she's starring in in the near future, which also helps the reader understand the movie.
The first reviewer says, "But hardly anything in The Spectacular Now plays out the way you expect," which I completely agreed with. One of the things I liked the most about this movie was the very unexpected turns and surprises. When I started watching it, I really thought it was just going to be a normal teenage love story, but it really shocked me in how it strayed away from that typical plot. Although my first impression of the movie after I watched it was that I didn't love it, I did respect that it wasn't too cliché. The second reviewer says, "It struggled to find anything to say beyond bringing us the news about alcoholism destroying lives," which I also agree with. I think that it showed a lot of scenes about how Sutter's alcoholism was destroying his life, but the problem was never really resolved, and it didn't seem like he was suffering any consequences.
I'd probably say that the positive review is more convincing, just because it is longer and gives more details about the actors' performance and the plot, which gives a lot more insight into the movie rather than just criticizing the alcoholism. The positive one talks about how the actors complimented each other and how their performances helped move the plotline along. This review would've convinced me that this was a good movie, and I would've watched it because I like Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. I also liked that it mentioned the director and writers, where the negative one did not.
I'm still not 100% positive about how I felt about the movie. When I first finished watching it, I thought that I didn't like it because it didn't really resolve any of the issues presented earlier in the movie. The more I thought about it after, I began to like it better and respect it for the more artistic side to it that really was saying something about our society. It would be hard for me to write a review because I have such mixed feelings about it. There were certain parts that I really hated, and there were some parts that were better.
However, if I did have to write a review, I would make sure to include criticisms about the alcoholism, like the negative reviewer did, but I wouldn't be as critical about it. I think it was interesting that this aspect was included, because it was saying something about our society. I would also comment on the damaging relationship between main characters.
