Adult World

Starring: Emma Roberts, John Cusack, Evan Peters, Cloris Leachman
Directed by: Scott Coffey
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A naive girl (Emma Roberts) who desperately desires to become a great poet reluctantly takes a job at an adult film store.

Tim: Adult World is the kind of movie that sneaks up on you. It's a very small film, so it's easy to dismiss it as another artsy, forgettable film. However, Scott Coffey's film has some real substance and emotion to it. It might not have perfectly melded all the pieces together, but there's a lot to like in this solid effort.

The film revolves around Amy, played brilliantly by Emma Roberts. Amy believes with undying passion that she will be a great poet someday. This belief doesn't waver, even when confronted with the harsh realities of life. It's a remarkable character because she's so naive and has a lack of self-awareness. Roberts hits all the right notes with the character- she's not someone you especially like or respect, but you have to grudgingly admire for her plunky enthusiasm. It's a comedic role, but there's this very sad underlying element to her. We're watching a sheltered, naive girl come to terms with the real world and it's not pretty. I appreciated this film giving us such a flawed, complex character at its heart. This movie is very much about her, her mistakes, and overcoming her shortcomings. Roberts really, really impressed me.

The supporting cast is good, too. I've been a fan of John Cusack for a long, long time, although his film choices lately are a little suspect. I admit I wondered at the start of the film whether this was just another paycheck. However, as the movie progresses, Cusack gives this hilarious, intelligent, memorable performance as Rat Billings, a selfish, worldly famous writer, to whom Roberts' character admires. I understood what it was about the script and the character that attracted Cusack. It was a chance to play this incredible character in an important supporting role. I loved Cusack's performance and felt like I could watch him in this character for hours. It's one of the most enjoyable performances I've seen of his in a long time. I still believe Cusack is an underrated actor and you can see this movie and his performance for Exhibit A. Evan Peters also gives a strong performance. I'd seen him in a movie or two before and definitely saw some potential. That takes a huge leap forward here. I hope he continues to do smaller films like this to hone his craft, because I believe he has real talent and could be a major force in Hollywood some day. If he keeps making good choices, he'll have a long career. He's very, very good in a supporting role here.

I liked how this film explored some interesting topics. The idea of the artist and what it means to be an artist is examined. The movie has some powerful messages about how the best art is inspired by living. The movie is also a look at a generation of young people who've been told they could do anything their entire lives. When they meet the cold, cruel world, it is a rude awakening for many of them. Watching Amy struggle with life was powerful because so many people are in the same place. This film is very appropriately titled Adult World, not only for the adult video store in which our protagonist works, but it's really about her making her place in this very grown up world that feels far away from the relative safety of our youth.

Director Scott Coffey has some talent, but it was pretty obvious this is an early film for him (it's only his second). In some ways, he was saved by the remarkable cast put together- they took a slightly above average script and made it much better with strong performances. Coffey is a guy to watch because Adult World is a good film and a solid second effort. I do think he could have spun a more emotional story. Still, this is a worthwhile film and although it's a small, easy-to-overlook movie, I would definitely check it out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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