Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is a suave, self-assured, John Cusack-esque high school senior. He's one of those guys that's charming and popular: quick with the quip, and smooth with the ladies. But he's nice enough to be friendly to those outside his circle. His budding alcoholism and devil-may-care attitude towards his future causes his girlfriend Cassidy (Brie Larson) to break up with him. There isn't any melodrama to accompany the breakup - Cassidy merely honestly understands that she wants a future and Sutter can't even imagine one; he's too busy hiding behind his flask and living in the "now."
Sutter wakes up one morning on a stranger's lawn hung over and meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley). Aimee is a shy, bookish girl who - she claims - Sutter wouldn't notice normally. She isn't socially awkward; she is an intelligent, ambitious girl who stays out of the spotlight. Unless you actually were dictionary-definiton popular in high school (you know who you are) this was probably you. Sutter helps her with her paper route and she helps him with geometry. An invitation to a party, an invitation to prom, and the two become friends. Their relationship may be mismatched and the two of them may have different expectations, but it's still a beautiful shot for them to learn from each other. Sutter doesn't prey on Aimee, though we still wonder if she hasn't gotten mixed up in something complicated and inevitably unhealthy. Sutter's fleeting intentions aren't enough to warrant dislike from the audience, however; we just see him in all of his imperfections. It's like watching a dear friend go through a rough patch. Teller is gifted at bringing this kind of depth to a character.
Daddy-issues play no small role in Sutter's inner complexity. It's apparent that there is no dad in the picture, but Sutter seeks to find him at a kind of climax. The scene is less culminating than it is revealing. So much can be understood behind Sutter's alcoholism and outlook on life by this short scene with his father (sensitively played by Kyle Chandler - a much different father figure than Coach Taylor in "Friday Night Lights"). In one poignant moment, Aimee and Sutter fumble for change to pay for their drinks that the father neglects to have enough for.
Woodley, too, is a thoughtful actress. She was impressive in "The Descendants" and she doesn't disappoint in this more sensitive role. She's driven and dreamy, but still naïve. You can't blame her for being infatuated with Sutter and her flippant use of "I love you." Who hasn't been swept off their feet in a romance not meant to last? Her guileless performance, though, doesn't succumb to pity-prompting. It may seem she gives more weight to the relationship than he does, but she is still strong and capable.
The film is left somewhat open-ended, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Life is open-ended. You know that Sutter has been given ample opportunity now to grow and change, but whether or not he actually will is up to him. "The real hardship is me. It's always been me." Living in the moment isn't all that it's cracked up to be sometimes and perhaps it's not worth it to stay in that moment, no matter how spectacular it may be. To live in the now is less important than to see a future.
These coming of age stories can sometimes feel old, but this soulful and sincere portrait of youth takes the genre on a new, more realistic turn. And it's spectacular. 9/10
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