Best Actress 2013: Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now

A24, having purchased The Spectacular Now for $1M at Sundance, is a new distributor.  Their first release A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III starring Charlie Sheen opened this weekend to horrible reviews.  Ginger & Rosa starring Elle Fanning will open in March.  As well, its next two releases The Bling Ring and Spring Breakers will concentrate on young adults in their teens and early twenties.  Also note that two of the directors behind these films are women.  Now is a high school drama dealing with a young alcoholic senior (Miles Teller) and his relationship with a geek played by Woodley.  James Ponsoldt (Smashed) directed the adaptation of Tim Tharp's novel.  Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, who received major attention for their (500) Days of Summer, were the screenwriters.

HitFix found that Woodley's performance proved that her talent was genuine, as well as, "Capable of shifting between wallflower and camera-friendly starlet with organic ease, there's a vulnerability and openness to Woodley ... "  The Film School Rejects said, "The film is at [it’s] best during these moments, played with honesty and relatability by Teller and Woodley."  Cinema Blend: "It proves that Woodley's vulnerable performance in The Descendants was no fluke."  Collider: "Her work in ... Now is even better."  Slash Film: "Shailene Woodley ... is charming and brings depth and truth to what could be a stereotypical female wallflower geek character we see in many other teen films."  Screen Crave: "Woodley and Teller are believable, loveable, and endearing."  THR: "Looking plain, even homely and singularly unadorned, Woodley is worlds away from the svelte hottie she portrayed two years ago in The Descendents but again is entirely terrific."  SL Trib: "Teller and Woodley are outstanding in a cast that includes some powerhouse performers."  The Guardian: "Woodley ... delivers a naivety so gentle, it could at any moment be shattered."  The New York Post (via that ingrate Kyle Smith) found the alcoholic drama rudimentary and implausible, but says Woodley "is terrific, perfectly catching the intelligence and optimism of this disarming character without ever seeming to be acting."

The subject matter may be to light compared to Precious or Winter's Bone, but the reviews make her chances worth considering.  Now filmed last Summer in Georgia and also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Kyle Chandler.