Roger Ebert , in one of the last reviews of his life , awarded the film a full four stars , stating in his review : Here is a lovely film about two high school seniors who look , speak and feel like real 18-year-old middle-American human beings . Do you have any idea how rare that is ? They are n't crippled by irony . They are n't speeded up into cartoons . Their sex lives are n't insulted by scenes that treat them cheaply ... What an affecting film this is . It respects its characters and does n't use them for its own shabby purposes . How deeply we care about them . Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are so '' there '' . Being young is a solemn business when you really care about someone . Teller has a touch of John Cusack in his '' Say Anything '' period . Woodley is beautiful in a real person sort of way , studying him with concern , and then that warm smile . We have gone through senior year with these two . We have known them . We have been them . Richard Roeper of the '' Chicago Sun-Times '' also gave the film four stars out of four , describing it as " the best American movie of the year so far " . He summarized his review by adding : " '' The Spectacular Now '' will bring you back to that time in your life when you were trying to soak in every moment , because everyone told you there 's nothing better than your last year in high school . " In '' The Hollywood Reporter '' , critic Todd McCarthy called the film " a sincere , refreshingly unaffected look at teenagers and their attitudes about the future ... Ordinary in some ways and extraordinary in others , '' The Spectacular Now '' benefits from an exceptional feel for its main characters on the parts of the director and lead actors . " Dana Stevens of '' Slate '' also praised both the leads , commenting that " Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley have such a disarmingly direct and spontaneous connection as actors that Sutter and Aimee almost immediately come to seem like a couple you 've known ( or been part of ) at some point in your life ... '' The Spectacular Now '' captures the beauty and scariness and lacerating intensity of first love " . '' Entertainment Weekly '' critic Owen Gleiberman described it as " one of the rare truly soulful and authentic teen movies . " He compared it favorably to '' Say Anything ... '' and '' The Perks of Being a Wallflower '' , saying " like them , it 's a movie about the experience of being caught on the cusp and truly not knowing which way you 'll land . " In '' Variety '' , critic Rob Nelson wrote : " The scars and blemishes on the faces of the high-school lovers in '' The Spectacular Now '' are beautifully emblematic of director James Ponsoldt 's bid to bring the American teen movie back to some semblance of reality , a bid that pays off spectacularly indeed . " '' Cinema Blend '' called it " the rare Sundance coming-of-age story that feels like it matters " , adding : " '' The Spectacular Now '' is an instant MVP of the first half of the festival , with potential breakout hit written all over it ... you 'll be hearing a lot about this one down the road , and it 's got the goods to live up to the hype . " Phoebe Reilly of '' Spin '' called the film " the next great teen movie " and " truly remarkable " . She acclaimed Teller and Woodley for their " absurdly natural performances " , with Sutter " uniquely irresistible " and Aimee " a perfect repertoire of nervous giggles and awkward mannerisms . " At the 2013 Sundance Film Festival , '' The Spectacular Now '' received the Special Jury Award for Acting
2013 Sundance Film Festival
2013 Sundance Film Festival
The Spectacular Now