The Spectacular Now

Miles Teller delivers his breakout performance as Sutter, a partying high school senior that everybody loves but nobody takes seriously, until well-balanced Aimee (Shailene Woodley) comes along. They start a complicated relationship that is ill advised at both ends, but sometimes that's the best way to start a relationship. Teller is a marvel here, turning Sutter into something far from your average high school screw-up. Woodley, so good in The Descendants, is proving to be one of cinema's great young actresses. This film is a unique and intelligent take on growing up. This is directed by James Ponsoldt, who piloted last year's terrific Smashed, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who appears here as Sutter's sister. Ponsoldt is officially a force to be reckoned with, having made two of the best films of the last two years. Others in the cast include Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sutter's mom, and Kyle Chandler as his idiot dad. And while he only has a couple of scenes, Bob Odenkirk is terrific as Sutter's tolerant employer. To read a plot synopsis of this film is to make it seem ordinary. It's far from ordinary. It's spectacular.