Youth in Revolt (2010) - Movie Review
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Michael Cera has typecasted himself as Michael Cera. If a Hollywood production is every looking to have Michael Cera in their movie, they know who to go to. In Youth in Revolt, Michael Cera once again plays Michael Cera, but, just for shits and giggles, he also plays his alter ego Francois Dillinger, a very anti-Michael Cera.
Yes, Michael Cera is the star of the movie. Did you get that?
In Youth in Revolt, he plays Nick Twisp, an awkward teenage virgin who meets the girl of his dreams (Portia Doubleday) while staying with relatives for the summer. He is intrigued by her bluntness while she thinks he's sweet, but in the heat of the moment Nick develops a split personality named Francois who is willing to do and say the things Nick is reluctant to do. God, I wish I had a split personality like Francois - minus the arsonist tendencies.
Youth in Revolt is a movie that never quite reaches its potential, though it gets its fingertips on it a few times. The coming-of-age story isn't anything new, but the execution and situations Nick gets into are unique. Unfortunately, the best parts of the movie are the interactions between Nick and Francois, and most of those are shown in the movie trailers. In other words, the movie needed more Francois.
The movie is directed by Miguel Arteta, who also did The Good Girl. He does a decent job, but is generally uninspiring. Between Arteta and screenwriter Gustin Nash (the movie is based on a novel by C.D. Payne), the filmmakers fail to tighten the story in a coherent way; it bounces between scenes almost at random, which causes the pacing to suffer. Youth in Revolt, as funny as it is as times, fails to hold attention.
Youth in Revolt features good acting and an interesting story, but the trailers are funnier than the actual movie. It lacks cohesiveness and as a result struggles to entertain throughout its running time. It's hard to say that potential was squandered, but it definitely wasn't fully realized.
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Seph says:
July 19, 2011Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) is on an epic quest to become a hardass and lose his virginity. Based on a series of books by C.D Payne comes a sweet and often hilarious comedy.
Now, one thing is for sure. We all know Michael Cera never reaches out for a different type of role. Doesn’t matter what kind of nerd he is; he’ll play it. I think it would be ok to play nerds so frequently if he WASN’T a nerd in real life, but obviously he used to be one so he knows how to handle it. Of course, he also still has the shaky child voice. I always want to see him play something new, and I’m eagerly awaiting that day. Anyway, the movie is sharp and funny. When the laughs hit, they hit big for the most part. But usually, Michael Cera is charming so it enables us to forget about his nerdiness and just watch the movie. Zach Galifianakis (who you know from the Hangover) does a pretty nice job, but in all truth I’m not sure if he can ever do as good or be as funny as he was in the Hangover again. I mean it’s great he’s playing different roles - unlike Cera. They’re just not hitting as hard and when you see him on screen in every movie you go – “IT’S ALAN!! FROM THE HANGOVER!” Face it – you’re not going to say from another movie. At the end of the day, it’s an affectionate, upbeat, surprisingly witty film from Miguel Arteta. B+