Liberal Arts: Adulthood, are we doing it right?

With love for a movie, there often comes a love for TV series. Not the dumb ones, with sloppy actors and cheesy scenograpy, but the ones that are good, great sometimes, better than some movies actually. They might be funny, they might be scary, they might be disgusting, inspirational, have good music or costumes, be set in your favourite era - there are many reasons to love them. The times, when TV series were just little brothers and sisters to The Movies are gone, and if you don't have a weekly appointment at Doctor Who's office or a visit at Downton Abbey, well, you're missing out on a lot of fun!

But if you've tried watching any TV series, you couldn't avoid at least hearing about How I Met Your Mother, cause it's this decade's Friends, iconic, quoted, funny and light show. If so, you probably remember the consternation, when while watching The Avengers Cobie Smulders comes in, trying to act like she's not Robin. Didn't fool anyone though (remember the rustle 'It's Robin!', when she first appeared?). Maybe is she was more (or even a bit) authentic or had more (or anything reasonable) to say, it would work, but she wasn't and she hadn't, so the general reaction of the audience is pretty well described in this meme: ------------------->

Moral of this story is that it's hard to take off the labels. So when I first sat down to Liberal Arts, starring Josh Radnor, the forever-Ted from HIMYM, I was prepared for same kind of lack of surprise, like in the Robin situation, just one character trying to play another. But the whole movie was... Well, not what I've expected. And it's hell of a label scratch.

It's a third version of this review, and fingers crossed, that it's the last one. I've tripped over a barrier of words a hundred times, thinking - how to describe a movie, that from the outside looks like tons alike; romantic comedies, some may call it. But my experience has given this term such strong negative tenor, I feel bad for even thinking I could spend time (and sometimes money) on it. But, you know, Liberal Arts gives proof of a saying: never judge a book by its cover. It may look like Our Sweet Love part 19294948, blindly following a pattern, that' never going to change: they meet, they fall in love, something comes out/secrets are told/family arrives, than we get to the break (up) point, after which there's getting back together, and forever love, lots of babies, kiss kiss. Ugh, so painful, but best for grey cells suicide. Anyway, it's easy to accuse Liberal Arts of such an origin: because of its poster, sweet talks and walks, because of the description, that can be shortened to: they write letters, fall in love, oops, she's 16 years younger. BUT IT'S NOT THAT KIND OF STORY. Just give it a chance, because it's worth it.

THE REASONS TO WATCH LIBERAL ARTS:
1. It's true. That's a rare attribute, so it's needs to be appreciated even more. Watching Liberal Arts you can't avoid the feeling: I've been there, in one situation or another. You might've felt like Zibby, 19 and enthusiastic, just starting a real life, with a whole world to explore and that feeling of almightiness filling up her body. Dean, on the other hand, just can't fit in. He knows, that collage should be cool and fun, but he can't connect and feels alone. That's the way I feel right now, studying. Or you may find something in common with Jesse, a 35 year old dreamer, that lives a boring life he never wanted, with books as main companion and knowledge, that plans just don't work out. There's also professor Hoberg, recently retired from lecturing, who just realized, how pointless and empty is his life without it. But the world is cruel, and getting rejected by a men you employed yourself, while begging him with tears in your eyes, hurts. Positively or negatively, you'll identify with someone, at some point. And that's beautiful.
2. It's funny. If you, like I do, object to being treated like an idiot, well, a great fool at least, which is the way that majority of recent comedies treat it's audience, with heavy, perverted jokes, humour, that's only situational (and those situations are silly and unauthentic, mostly based on someone being naked) - it's gonna be an antidote for us both. It's stalking following Jesse that gives us the chance to laugh. Self-distanced and satiric, but not quizzical way of narration is the essential, making this quite deep movie so adorable, that when the end titles start, you wonder, where did those 97minutes of your life go.

3. Josh Radnor. Look at him, such a one-man band. He wrote it, he directed it and played one of the main characters. That's impressive and surprising, especially if you think of Liberal Art's subtlety and charm, naturalness and poetics. And a great romance, coming from the story of a man and woman, or more, a man's and woman's souls, connecting over a bundle of letters, written like in the old times, on paper, with a pen, inspired by classical music.

I can even hear a Ted-label coming off.

4. What does it mean, to be an adult?

"Do you know how old I feel I am? Nineteen. Since I was nineteen I've never felt not nineteen". Don't we all? But when we're not nineteen anymore, there are things we do, but didn't before, and those we don't, but used to. Do they define, when we can call ourselves old? Or is it thinking about consequences, that sets the start point for adulthood? Those question are asked quietly, somewhere between the lines, and answered the same way, subtly and indirectly. Aren't we adult, putting our mother's pride above our unhappiness, even if we're twenty? Does the age really stands for anything? Liberal Arts makes you think about who you were, are, will be and wanted to be, but never will.

5. Books. There aren't many movies, where books are treated like real characters, best friends, inspiration and curse, all in one. Appreciated and loved, cared about and present in life, always. Love it.

6. Zac, is that you?! Talking about labels, remember Zac Efron, the superstar of Disney's superproduction of a superteen High School Musical? Well, he's changed a bit: 

Roles in productions like that are sticky and stay with you for a long time, cause while half the world loves you, the other half hates your guts, and that's the occupational risk you need to be aware of. Zac Efron has been trying hard to break his supersweet image, playing a silent dog-lover in The Lucky One or falling madly in love in a sluty version of Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy, but his short appearance in Liberal Arts is, I think, exceptional. Nat, a chilled and quite special friend, Jesse meets only two times in his life, makes a change in his attitude. Nat's his good ghost of wisdom, funny, a bit socially awkward, acting like he's high, but drinking water insted of beer, wearing an adorable stocking cap, and more above all - smart!

There are many other reasons for watching this movie. The romance between Jesse and Zibby (Elisabeth Olsen is gonna be one of the greatest actress one day!), which has such a natural chemistry, I haven't seen in a long time. There's something pure about it and something well known to as all, a relationship that could be a great one, if we'd met this person in a different life situation, in ten years or ten years earlier, before something changed you or him/her. The cast is also impressive, including great people and big talents. The reminder of a feeling of infinity of opportunities and possibilities, we have when we are young, and if we're not anymore - the bitterness of lost chances. But maybe we're always young, and the difference between being and not being an adult is when we've lost more chances, than we still have ahead?
If you're looking for quick and brain-relaxing entertainment, I recommend aforementioned The Avengers, but it you want to cater to not only fun, but also your soul,

I say

movies like that are still being made.