![]() |
Left to right: Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley |
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that with director James Ponsoldt's second feature The Spectacular Now, I am officially calling him one of the best upcoming directors of this decade. Along with Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines), Ponsoldt is a man who knows how to make characters vulnerable in exciting ways that don't detriment the story or rely on cheesy gimmicks. As familiar as coming of age stories are, the Smashed director's follow-up manages to find new ground through alcoholic teen Sutter (Miles Teller) and Amy's (Shailene Woodley) relationship which doesn't so much explore getting older, but the influences that the people in their lives play on their actions.