Adult World
By S. Jhoanna Robledo,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
So-so coming-of-age film set in porn rental store.
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What's the Story?
Amy (Emma Roberts) is finished with college but still lives like a student, bunking with her parents, who support her, and spending the days sending in her poems to literary reviews and competitions. Never mind that she's trying for top-notch magazines like the New Yorker and isn't all that entirely good at finding her true voice as a writer yet. (She does, however, have a Sylvia Plath poster in her room.) She also has no other way to pay her bills, including her student loans. Out of desperation, she pursues a famous writer (John Cusack) and begs to be his assistant, working for free and demanding he mentor her. She also takes a job working behind the counter at ADULT WORLD, an adult DVD rental shop, where she befriends a transvestite cabaret singer and a coworker with his own artistic ambitions who encourage her to start examining herself and start applying herself, in earnest.
Is It Any Good?
This is a passably funny coming-of-age movie that may resonate among older teens contemplating college -- or what to major in -- and perplexed about what they want to be when they grow up. Growing up, however, doesn't seem all that impressive here, unless one's dream is to become an aging hipster writer who's beset by fans who still want to discuss the brilliance of a book you wrote decades ago. Cusack is razor-sharp in his role as Rat, his bon mots cutting right to the core, like a Lloyd Dobbler gone cynical.
But what exactly is the film's point of view about the titular adult world? That you can't be a poet in it? (Many an aspiring writer and filmmaker have told movie-watchers this. So: duh.) That you can't look down on people who work in a sex shop? (Again: duh.) What magic the film has is in Amy's relationship with her newfound friends and, more so, Rat, but the epiphanies she has are either obvious or superficial, robbing the film of much of its potential. See it for the laughs, but not for complexity.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's messages about dreams. What point is the film trying to make about life goals? Does this movie treat young adulthood realistically?
Why is this movie set in an adult DVD shop? Would the movie have been very different if it were set in a library or a tool shop?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 14, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: June 10, 2014
- Cast: Emma Roberts , John Cusack , Evan Peters
- Director: Scott Coffey
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: IFC Entertainment
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Friendship
- Run time: 97 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: sexual content and some drug use
- Last updated: January 10, 2023
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