Diablo Cody earned an Academy Award for her ability to pen a story about a teenager, for “Juno,” but she’s starting to think she simply can’t help it. It’s no coincidence that her anti-heroine Mavis in “Young Adult” is an actual YA novel-writer.
“I write about teenagers just like Mavis. I have been guilty of fixating on adolescent themes in a way. Sometime I wonder if its because I’m stunted or immature,” she told HitFix in a recent interview.
The screenwriter said she was inspired by some high school “interactions” as she sent Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt through a world of pain and nostalgia, as Theron’s Mavis goes through trying to win back the affections of her high school boyfriend (played by Patrick Wilson) when she returns to her small hometown.
It thwarts any traditional “redemption arc,” she says, and blending lines between romantic comedy, buddy comedy, a coming-of-age and a serious revisit to one’s high school days.
“I wanted to do something complicated. This is not really what studios are looking for,” she said, indicating that she wants to feed an audience in search of cinematic complexity. “I hope they find it ballsy.”
Watch the video above, as Cody explains what it was like to destroy Charlize Theron in a script and why Patton Oswalt is perfect for his part as Matt.
Here is HitFix’s interview with Oswalt.
Here is HitFix’s interview with Theron.
“Young Adult” is out tomorrow (Dec. 16).