Manny The Movie Guy /

Director Jason Reitman reteams with his Oscar-winning "Juno" scriptwriter, Diablo Cody, for "Young Adult." While their new collaboration is not as instantly lovable as their previous effort, "Young Adult" is still a smartly written film with nuance performances from Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt.

Theron stars as Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown with one goal in mind – to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade, played by the always dependable Patrick Wilson ("Insidious," "Lakeview Terrace").

"Young Adult" has a stellar cast and it’s fitting that the film is being honored at the upcoming Palm Springs International Film Festival with a Vanguard Award recognizing its outstanding creative ensemble.

Elizabeth Reaser, known to many teenage girls as the matriarchal Esme Cullen in the popular "Twilight" series, plays Buddy’s wife, Beth. How will she take Mavis and her husband-stealing ways?

Mavis needs a sidekick in order to fulfill her goal. Enter Oswalt’s Matt Freehauf, a self-described geek who secretly longed for Mavis’ attention. They are former classmates who have not quite gotten over high school.

Oswalt, who voiced the role of Remy the Rat in Disney/Pixar’s "Ratatouille, is fast gaining attention in Hollywood as a respectable actor. In "Young Adult," he and Theron have palpable chemistry that you will be sticking through the end of the movie to find out where their friendship is heading.

Theron is also great at playing an undesirable character that you love to hate but just can’t! From the moment we meet her in her apartment in Minneapolis, drunk and watching brainless reality shows, you are instantly intrigued by her persona.

Mavis is a beautiful woman outside but rotten to the core inside. The only real friend she has that gives her unconditional love is her pet dog. But she doesn’t even care about her furry friend. Mavis just likes the status of being called a dog owner.

Oswalt and Theron have many scenes together and watching spark fly between the actors is enough to recommend "Young Adult." Trust me when I say that they will each receive acting nominations at the 84th annual Academy Awards.

Cody, who thrilled everyone with her "Juno" script was in need of redemption after writing the horrible "Jennifer’s Body." Everything is forgiven now Diablo Cody, just stop writing cheesy horror movies.

The beauty of Cody’s script is its brave and intelligent way of presenting Mavis. This is not your typical Hollywood romantic comedy where everyone gets their redemption in the end. On the contrary, Mavis’ character does not need any salvation and the film is adamant in getting its point across.

The movie is also funny and witty. If you enjoyed "Juno’s" dry wit, you will love the humor in "Young Adult." But the comedy is not a laugh-out-loud rolling-on-the-floor-laughing, it stings and will make you think long after the laughter is gone.

Reitman created a movie that defies Hollywood clichés. Yet, for all its brilliant character study, "Young Adult" has really nothing of substance to say unlike Reitman’s previous movies such as "Thank You for Smoking" which touched upon corporate greed, or "Up in the Air" which spoke volumes about our recent economic collapse.

In the end, "Young Adult" can be seen as Reitman’s way of examining human relationships. Why do we have regrets? Why do we have intense feelings of loss? And why do we always hark back to our high school years?