Any film that rolls the opening credits while an A-list actress sings along to Teenage Fanclub's The Concept is alright with us, but don't assume Young Adult is going to be a fun trip to the indie club - we haven't seen Charlize Theron this dark since Monster. Honestly, she's a monster.

The first collaboration between director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody since 2007's Juno sees Theron play Mavis Gary - a former Queen Bee/Homecoming Queen/High School Bitch who's ended up exactly as you might expect, just with less hilarious consequences. Pushing 40, Mavis is barely clinging onto her job as a ghostwriter of a teen fiction series ("not the vampire one") while trudging from one day to next - a litre of Diet Coke for breakfast, a bourbon not long after. That is until she opens an email from an ex-boyfriend and is disgusted to find a picture of his newborn child attached (wasn't this what Facebook was invented for?). Prompted out of monotony, she sets off on the road trip back to her hometown to get him back. Just because she can. We told you she wasn't nice.

No surprise with Reitman, the guy behind Up in the Air and the aforementioned Juno, the casting is brilliant. Theron is really good. Really damaged goods. Despite being such an unlikeable character, you can't keep your eyes off her. An equally impressive performance comes from Patton Oswalt (King of Queens, erm, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas - sheesh, he needed this) as Matt, Mavis' old high school locker neighbour who was made disabled from a gay hate crime, despite not being gay. Obviously Mavis deals with this in exactly the way you'd expect - being mean, although the pair still make an unlikely a connection in lieu of anyone else. 

While comparisons have been made with last year's Bad Teacher, Cameron Diaz's bitch eventually got her cheery turnaround after a brief period of personal reflection (we think - we lost interest), whereas Theron's clearly needs professional help. There's a moment when she tells her parents (who she's reluctantly made to visit) that she thinks she might be an alcoholic, which they laugh off. For the first time, you almost understand her. It's very relentless and bleak, but it's definitely consistent - something anyone who saw Diaz's convenient transformation should be grateful for. Even when you feel the light coming, they snap the curtains right back shut again - Cody's willingness to stick to this should be applauded even if you would like some relief (isn't that why we go to the cinema?). 

Anyone who was annoyed with Cody's knowingness in Juno (that bloody hamburger phone) will find the same irritations in Young Adult - all the band t-shirts got on our tits (talking of which, a baby group of mums in a grunge covers band called Nipple Confusion seemed a step too far), but for all we know Minneapolis is full of Breeders and Pixies fans, so we won't complain about that. What's with Minneapolis anyway? First Bridesmaids, now this - one more film set there and it's a trend!

We don't want to give away too much, but the ending is exactly as it should be - even if you end up leaving the cinema feeling slightly bleak because of it. Having said that, anyone who's ever got bored looking at their hometown mate's baby photos might have a sly smile. You're not as bad as Mavis, don't worry.