Overview
A charming high school senior navigates love and life while grappling with his future and a growing addiction.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- intimate
- wistful
- quiet evening
- coming of age movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a sensitive, sincere, and unusually authentic coming-of-age drama that avoids familiar teenage movie trappings.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sutter performs confidence and self-possession while avoiding plans for life beyond high school.
Aimee's grounded ambitions and concern force Sutter to reconsider his alcohol-fueled present-mindedness.
Critics specifically praised the film's sincere, refreshingly unaffected depiction of middle-American high school seniors.
Sutter is a budding alcoholic whose whiskey-fortified cup accompanies his social life and denial.
Films like The Spectacular Now, and why
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
shared sensitive coming of age drama, teenage romance, and emotionally grounded performances
Lady Bird
shared high school setting, awkward first love, sincere humor, and adolescent self-discovery
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
shared realistic teenage romance, introspection, and bittersweet transition into adulthood
Movie Details
- Director
- James Ponsoldt
- Release Date
- 2013-08-02
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (3083)
Cast
- Miles Teller
- Shailene Woodley
- Masam Holden
- Kaitlyn Dever
- Brie Larson
- Kyle Chandler
- Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead
- Karen Strassman
- Andre Royo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Spectacular Now about?
- A charming high school senior clings to alcohol and the present until an unlikely romance makes the future impossible to ignore.
- What is The Spectacular Now like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Spectacular Now as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Spectacular Now violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Spectacular Now.
- What did critics think of The Spectacular Now?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a sensitive, sincere, and unusually authentic coming-of-age drama that avoids familiar teenage movie trappings.
- Which films are like The Spectacular Now?
- Films with a similar feel include The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Lady Bird, and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
- How long is The Spectacular Now?
- The Spectacular Now runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Spectacular Now?
- In United States, The Spectacular Now streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
