Shia Honey

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I think it probably took me less time than it maybe seems to be taking other people to adjust to ther news that Andrea Arnold, the great director of Red Road and Fish Tank and Wuthering Heights, has hired Shia LaBeouf to be the star of her next movie. This is a woman that's clearly drawn to combustible moments and actors (Kate Dickie & Michael Fassbender, oh my) and never taking the easy road - say what you will about Shia's obnoxious public breakdown over the past couple of years but I actually think he's become an incredibly interesting actor to watch on-screen, and if Arnold can harness that crazy-ass spark then we might have a fire worth burning ourselves with this one.

The only thing that surprises me is I'd heard forever that American Honey (that's the film's title) was going to star unknowns and be about a teenage girl who, and I quote, "going to work for a magazine and getting sidetracked with party-time." Now Variety is saying:

"The story centers on a runaway teenager who’s selling magazine subscriptions around the U.S. and gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard-partying, law-bending and young love."

Which is slightly different, and I'm wondering how Shia fits in - he cannot possibly be playing the runaway teenager. He might still be under 30, but he cannot pull off teenager anymore.