Miles Teller's most underrated movie is on Netflix in August 2024

He might be one of the most famous actors in Hollywood these days, but just shy of a decade ago, Miles Teller was still cutting his teeth in breakout movie roles. This August, fans can relive one of the actor's best acting performances in one of his still most underrated movies to date. The Spectacular Now is streaming on Netflix as of Thursday, Aug. 1

Based on the book of the same name by Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now was written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber and directed by James Ponsoldt. The film centers on Miles Teller's character Sutter Keely, a troubled but happy-go-lucky high school student who finds himself falling for wallflower Aimee Finecky, played by his Divergent costar Shailene Woodley.

The movie made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013 before making its theatrical release that August by indie distributor A24. While not a huge box office hit, the low budget film still managed to make over $6 million against its meager $2.5 million budget. On top of its commercial success, The Spectacular Now was loved by critics and holds a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch the trailer for the coming-of-age movie below!

The Spectacular Now is an underrated teen classic

Before starring as the male lead in The Spectacular Now, Miles Teller had really only starred in two movies. He had a breakout role in the 2010 movie Rabbit Hole as well as a memorable supporting role in 2011 Footloose remake. In 2013, he also starred in the teen comedy 21 & Over.

Soon after his breakthrough roles, Teller enjoyed huge success in 2014 with Whiplash, That Awkward Moment, and Divergent. But The Spectacular Now will always be his most underrated movie — and that's just a fact. He's just too good in this role for it to be forgotten.

Woodley's also excellent in her role as the timid Aimee, a teen character not so far unlike her The Secret Life of the American Teenager character Amy, but different enough to show another shade of the actress' talents. She landed an Independent Spirit Award nomination for the movie.

The film has a quietly stacked cast with heavyweights like Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Bob Odenkirk, Kaitlyn Dever, and Brie Larson, who was just two years shy of her Oscar-winning role in Room and six year away from MCU stardom.

Here's the full The Spectacular Now cast:

• Miles Teller as Sutter Keely
• Shailene Woodley as Aimee Finecky
• Brie Larson as Cassidy Roy
• Jennifer Jason Leigh as Sara Keely
• Kyle Chandler as Tommy Keely
• Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Holly Keely
• Dayo Okeniyi as Marcus West
• Andre Royo as Mr. Aster
• Bob Odenkirk as Dan
• Kaitlyn Dever as Krystal

If you have never watched The Spectacular Now before, but you became a Miles Teller fan after watching Top Gun: Maverick or any of his other movies, realize that the romantic drama movie isn't your average teen movie. It's emotional and subtle and raw. Maybe it's difficult to watch at times because it feels so real, but it's well worth sitting in the discomfort and understanding the meaning.

Now, also be warned that the ending of The Spectacular Now isn't obvious. Minor spoilers ahead! You won't fully know the status of Sutter and Aimee's relationship. Do they end up together? What happens?! Well, it's a reflection of the uncertainty of life. The open-ended ending leaves us wondering and allows us to fill in the gaps ourselves. These characters stay with you because of this effectively evocative ending.

After watching The Spectacular Now on Netflix, you can catch Miles Teller in the Netflix original movie Spiderhead. All three Divergent movies and Thank You for Your Service are also still on the streamer in August 2024. Obviously, Woodley stars in the Divergent movies, the Sony movie Dumb Money, and the Netflix original movie The Last Letter from Your Lover on Netflix.

Watch The Spectacular Now on Netflix beginning Aug. 1.