The Spectacular Now

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The Spectacular Now

R

2013

1h 35m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

170 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

High school senior Sutter Keely is an effortless charmer and self-proclaimed life of the party who unexpectedly falls in love with the nice girl Aimee Finecky. While Aimee dreams of the future, Sutter lives in the now. And yet somehow, they're drawn together. What starts as an unlikely romance becomes a sharp-eyed, straight-up snapshot of the heady confusion and haunting passion of youth -- one that doesn't look for tidy truths.

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Critics Consensus

The Spectacular Now is an adroit, sensitive film that avoids typical coming-of-age story trappings.

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Noah Berlatsky

The Atlantic

Aug 28, 2019

The movie wasn't smart enough to deal with the interesting protagonists it started with, and so it reverted to trope.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Jun 19, 2016

There are scenes, moments, and dialogue in this film that ring so true that it all comes rushing back, a flood of memories and emotions and a little bit of pain.

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Jared Eisenstat

Film Comment Magazine

Nov 4, 2013

[Ponsoldt] enjoys playing with our expectations by following conventions, luring us into the sense that we know what's coming, and then swerving just a little off-road for a detour.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 16, 2025

3/4

There’s a spectacular performance hovering around the edges of The Spectacular Now, and it belongs to Shailene Woodley.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 31, 2025

4/5

"The Spectacular Now" dives as deep and as real into a high school romance as we've seen in a long time.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Dec 27, 2023

5/5

The beauty of watching The Spectacular Now is that Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are just living in the moment, in the now.

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Jed I

@RT01296269 Aug 31, 2026

5.7/10 — "Mediocre"/"Passable" -(Seen on 8/29/26)

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Matteo D

@Xmattew Aug 19, 2026

The best wrote and most realistic dialogues i have ever seen. The relashionship between the two teenager is potrayed in such a way that you really feel like catching a glipse of something real. The characters are deeply flowed but coherent, maybe you can say that Amy doesn't act rationally but in my opinion you can toss it up to a young fragile woman her first time being in love. The final isn't the strongest but the rest of the film makes up for that.

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Joey L

@JoeyLeftovers Aug 17, 2026

Without ruining it, it ruins itself. Who am I pulling for? What’s the best outcome? The “protagonist” actively makes things worse for everyone around him and I’m left rooting for the alcohol to win. 2 stars because Bob Odenkirk is worth it.

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Zach R

@Zach.r.e Jul 10, 2026

It had its moments but it was kinda disappointing. Aimee’s character is super underdeveloped and was definitely written by a man as a manic pixie dream girl. I applaud the directing though, a lot of scenes were brilliantly executed and loved the single shot scenes where the actors just do their thing. I think the writing could’ve been better.

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Brian L.

@Brian91 Mar 25, 2026

I really loved this movie! I give it 5 star's because it's really good! 🔥💥

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Scott W

@RT82365565 Jan 31, 2026

Very well done !! Better than I anticipated. Great cast too

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James Ponsoldt

Director

Miles Teller

Sutter Keely

Shailene Woodley

Aimee Finecky

Brie Larson

Cassidy

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Sara

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Holly Keely

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Synopsis

High school senior Sutter Keely is an effortless charmer and self-proclaimed life of the party who unexpectedly falls in love with the nice girl Aimee Finecky. While Aimee dreams of the future, Sutter lives in the now. And yet somehow, they're drawn together. What starts as an unlikely romance becomes a sharp-eyed, straight-up snapshot of the heady confusion and haunting passion of youth -- one that doesn't look for tidy truths.

Director: James Ponsoldt
Producer: Michelle Krumm, Andrew Lauren, Shawn Levy, Tom McNulty
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Andrew Lauren Productions
Rating: R (All Involving Teens|Alcohol Use|Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 2, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 9, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.9M
Runtime: 1h 35m

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