If we had to pick one grossly underrated film from 2011, definitely high up on our collective list would be Jason Reitman's "Young Adult." And if we had to pick one criminally undervalued performance from 2011 that deserved to score an Oscar nomination but didn't, Charlize Theron's dark, raw and funny turn in this brilliant and bittersweet picture would be right up there as well. So two pretty strong reasons why you should catch up on this film if you missed it earlier in the year, not to mention we described it in our review as "unflinchingly funny and painful" and gave it an A-grade to boot.
Directed by Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up In The Air") and written by Diablo Cody ("Juno," "Jennifer's Body"), the dramedy centers on Mavis Gary (played by Charlize Theron), a young-adult fiction writer who, soon after her divorce, returns to her home in small-town Minnesota looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter. Supporting players in the film include Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser and Collet Wolfe.
If you didn't manage to catch it in theaters — and kinda boo on you if that's the case — "Young Adult" arrived on DVD earlier in the week and we've got three copies for some lucky readers. How do you win? Email us with your name, address and the name one of the '90s alt-rock bands who composer Mateo Messina covered, elevator-music style of course, in the film's rather subtle, but brilliant soundtrack. Good luck and check out our interviews with Charlize Theron, Diablo Cody, Patton Oswalt and Jason Reitman if you missed them the first time around.
Update: Contest closed, winners will be contacted via email.
