Netflix A-Z (with a twist!): Adult World (2013)

We’re back! Third round of Netflix A-Z!

This time, I promised it would be a little different. If I have enough posts to cover the week, I’m aiming for dropping it to only one Netflix A-Z per week. There may be exceptions depending on how I feel, since it could take a while to get through a round and the point is to decrease the growing titles on my Netflix list. Also, this round is going to be only with Independent films from whats available on Netflix. Just saying that its what is listed under Independent Films. I don’t go and look it up afterwards unless its super obvious that it isn’t. However, I have thought about keeping it two posts a week but just focusing on the “letter of the week” sort of thing.

First up to kick things off is Adult World! I haven’t ever heard of this before but I like the cast. I think its worth a chance! 🙂

Adult World (2013)

Director: Scott Coffey

Cast: Emma Roberts, Evan Peters, John Cusack, Shannon Woodward, Cloris Leachman, Armando Riesco

Amy, a naive college graduate who believes she’s destined to be a great poet, begrudgingly accepts a job at a sex shop while she pursues a mentorship with reclusive writer Rat Billings.-IMDB

 If there’s one word to describe Adult World, it’d have to be quirky. And if there was a second word, it would be awkward. I’m not sure I totally buy the story itself or that it appealed to me a lot. I mean, its pretty much a very generic sort of independent film about coming of age and finding yourself and where you want to go. Its about growing up and really feeling with the hardships experienced. Its about working hard towards your dreams and sometimes embracing the fact of whether it was meant to be. While the story didn’t grasp me as a big picture, the characters here are pretty charming to watch.

For one, I’m a big fan of Emma Roberts. She hasn’t been in huge movies and the bigger ones like say We’re the Millers was fun but nothing amazing either from the little I recall of it. My review is HERE if you’d like to check it out. She’s always had very emo roles. I guess that would be what we’d call it. There’s something deep about her character and some form of soul-searching and she does these roles really well. She’s not afraid to do those awkward bits and in this one, there are some seriously embarrassingly awkward moments that I couldn’t help but find hilarious because I felt a little embarrassed for her character. Her character, Amy is an incredibly naive girl who really hasn’t lived life except in her own mind, through her own words and hasn’t felt a lot of emotions to help her grow. She is incredibly gullible and this is why its so fun to watch. However, when she does step into reality, there’s quite a few surprises that she experiences and learns slowly.

The biggest cast member in Adult World has to be John Cusack. I love a lot of movies and it actually feels like I haven’t seen him into anything like this before. He plays as Rat Billings, a great poet that had a lot of recognition in the 90s but has since faded away. He’s cynical about the world and everything around him. It seems that his inspiration is also not what it used to be. Reluctantly, he takes in Amy and becomes her mentor but in the most brutal way. His character is pretty hard to grasp. I’m sure it was meant to make him into a person that is deeper except we never really quite see it other than the fact that he doesn’t care right now about Amy because she’s not ready for writing yet and he takes it upon himself to make it clear that she still has a lot in life to experience before thinking she can be anything.

Last is Evan Peters who plays the young manager at the sex shop Amy decides to work at to support her dream to become a writer. Evan Peters plays as Alex. How to describe Alex? He’s a little awkward but he also has a much more carefree way of seeing the world, his career and what he can achieve. He knows to do the best he can at his responsibilities and while he is the love interest in this situation, he also teaches Amy quite a bit about toning down on her high horse. Another is that: Alex is an incredibly lovable character in the awkward, slightly dorky way. He’s pretty harmless. Its also that which made me fluctuate a little between my feelings towards his acting and how much of it mattered to me for his character.

Overall, I pretty much did a character analysis up there because Adult World’s strongest point is its cast that portrays a group of charming characters with each their own way to connect to the audience. I can’t say the story is anything memorable. In fact, a few days later as I’m typing this, I’m not sure I actually remember a whole lot of it. I only remember the really fun parts and the laugh out loud bits and its these collective moments that make this movie work for me.

Have you seen Adult World?