Anyone from or familiar with the Syracuse area and the university will enjoy seeing local places and buildings on the big screen in “Adult World.”

The independent film, starring Emma Roberts and John Cusack, had its Syracuse premiere at the Landmark Theatre this weekend after its original premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. It was shot in Syracuse during the 2012 spring semester and was produced by Syracuse native Justin Nappi under his company TreeHouse Pictures.

The film follows Amy (Roberts), a recent college graduate who is knee-deep in debt from student loans and, after being rejected by all the top-tier publishing companies, is struggling to make a name for herself as a poet. When financially cut off from her parents, she is forced to find a paying job. She reluctantly accepts work at an adult bookstore, Adult World, owned by an enthusiastic older couple (John Cullum and Cloris Leachman). This is something that Amy struggles with throughout the film because she thinks she is above the work. This causes her to lose her job at one point, although she is rehired shortly after.

Though she makes friends with the store manager, Alex (Evan Peters) and Rubia (Armando Riesco), a sassy transvestite, Amy spends most of her time trying to figure out how to get the attention of her “favorite living poet,” Rat Billings (Cusack). Rat is a middle-aged dark poet whose success has slowed down from what it once was, but Amy is still determined to become his protégé. Amy stalks Rat until she is able to convince him to let her clean his house during the week — and possibly read her work — but he is not nearly the mentor she wishes him to be.

After Amy’s many failures to get published, her work gets exposed, thanks to Rat, in a book that ends up being called “Shit Poetry.” This leads to one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie where Amy is screaming and yelling at Rat while violently throwing books and crushing his guitar — just the climax the movie needed.

Amy then finds comfort in Alex, who is also an aspiring artist. But unlike Amy, he does not rely on the opinions of others to feel confident in his work.

Cusack provides an excellent onscreen performance as Rat, and his character ties the entire film together. His monotonous, self-absorbed and serious personality is quite humorous next to the wide-eyed and enthusiastic Amy. And his subtle wit is what keeps the comedy rolling throughout the film.

Roberts, niece of the Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts, also gives a great performance. She is just quirky enough to pull off the role of Amy and is fun to watch as she can easily captivate the audience. She was the perfect counterpart to Cusack.

Since the film was shot in the middle of a Syracuse winter, the dark skies and gloomy weather add extra elements of sadness to Amy’s struggles. The film establishes its momentum early on and has no trouble transitioning from scene to scene.

Although the ending is predictable, writer Andy Cochran created a tremendously well-sculpted script full of wit and humor. With the many unpredictable plot twists, it is easy for the audience to stay engaged and entertained.

Anybody who has the opportunity should go see “Adult World.” It is a fun and charming film that has been well received by many audiences and is great for anyone looking for a good laugh.

Published on October 9, 2013 at 12:56 am

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