Patrick Wilson, left, and Charlize Theron are shown in a scene from Young Adult. (Paramount Pictures/Associated Press)

Thank You for Smoking. Up in the Air. Jennifer's Body. A quick look at the films of director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody definitely offers a less-than-loving view of modern America.

Each of Reitman's films have been set in the here and now, undeniably inspired by the modern world and flawed characters, like his corporate mouthpiece Nick Naylor and Ryan Bingham, his shallow, frequent-flying downsizing expert. Cody peppers her dialogue with brand names and slang straight from the food court. Her characters don't fit in, but try to break out of their dreary lives: pregnant teens, unhappy husbands and high school queens stuck in a rut.

So, it's no surprise when the duo behind the hit comedy-drama Juno serve up a withering look at life in middle America in their latest collaboration, Young Adult.

The setting is small town Minnesota, a land of empty parking lots and stamped-out suburbs. Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is the writer of a Sweet Valley High-type novel series who's achieved a level of success that affords her a Minneapolis condo filled with empty Lean Cuisine boxes and a yappy dog. Our first glimpse of Mavis is far from glamorous: she's passed out face-down, her TV blaring the Kardashians.

An ex-boyfriend's email shakes Mavis out of her stupor. Her high school sweetheart, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), now has a kid and the image of his chubby spawn eats away her self confidence. It drives Mavis to embark on a road trip in order to win back the one who got away. The fact that he's happily married and a new dad? Just a minor detail in her deluded world view.

Cody says she wrote Young Adult because she was tired of men getting all the interesting anti-heroes. Not many actresses would have the courage to play such an ugly character, but Theron's Mavis is fascinating. Mavis is a selfish, vain woman who has survived on her Barbie doll looks and a modicum of talent. Watch her down whiskey after whiskey and you uncover the scowl and the aura of bitterness that hangs over her.

Theron portrays Mavis as a single-minded warrior whose body is her weapon of choice in the quest to win Buddy back. Reitman unflinchingly documents the ritual plucking, primping and painting to which Mavis subjects herself before battle -- in this case, her dinner date with Buddy. There's no pleasure here, just ice-cold determination.

Actor Patton Oswalt plays Matt Freehauf in a scene from the film Young Adult. (Philip V. Caruso/Paramount Pictures/Mandate Pictures/Associated Press)

Young Adult would be nothing more than a slow-moving tragedy if for Patton Oswalt. His Matt Freehauf is the chubby town loner, so severely beaten by high school bullies that he uses crutches to get around. Cody loads Matt up with every nerdy signifier in the book: he makes custom action figures, has his own bourbon still in the garage and fosters a healthy love for Star Wars. It could have been a parody, but Oswalt is a smart actor not afraid to play needy.

Mavis and Matt make an interesting pair: the prom queen and her geek confidant. She considers him an amoeba not worth worrying about, while he sees the real woman hiding behind the padded bra and hair extensions.

Clocking in at just over 90 minutes, Young Adult is caustic novella about a woman who never grew up. It scratches at the surface of big-boxified America and sneers before passing out in a pool of its own bile.

It might be uncomfortable to wallow in the gutter with Mavis, but her total lack of boundaries makes for some hilariously honest moments. This is a woman who openly announces her plans to torpedo a marriage and sneers at babies. And while I'm not generally a fan of cringe comedy, her climactic meltdown is nearly worth the price of admission. Young Adult works as a can't-look-away character study and offers a brave, unsentimental portrait by a filmmaking team not afraid to rile the audience.

RATING: 4 out of 5