Dimension Films | USA | 90 min.
These days it almost seems like a hip, wise-ass, teenage angst flick would be remiss to not have Michael Cera in the lead. Cera’s shtick has been played over and over and its reckless use has started to take its toll on the audiences and critics alike. Following the disappointment of Year One it seemed like ‘The Era of Cera’ had been finally put to rest — or so we all thought. Cera’s hilarious rendition of Nick Twisp in Youth In Revolt has enough Cera trademark awkwardness shtick to be recognizable as the kid we all know and love but also has enough twist and originality to remind you that he is still a viable actor and he has not turned in his skinny jeans just yet.
Youth In Revolt is a book-adaptation film and its main problem is rooted in exactly that — it is a book-adaptation film. C.D. Payne’s 499-page novel is a tough feat to compress into a coherent 90 minute film, but the material they were able to transfer is hilarious and definitely close to the best, if not the best, performance of Cera’s career. It’s weird, it’s smart, it’s shocking and it’s just enough for Cera to reclaim the throne of teenage sex comedy king.
Nick Twisp is a smart-ass kid with trashy parents (Jean Smart and Steve Buscemi) that has little direction or joy in life. Living in Oakland with his mother and her current boyfriend Jerry (Zach Galifianakis), Nick deals with his promiscuous mother who has a complete disregard for what it takes to be a proper parent. Nick is brought along on a kind of long term “vacation” to a weird and seedy trailer park in Ukiah and is forced to deal with his mother’s shitty parenting and not-so-subtle exposition of her awkward sex life in the close quarters of a caravan. There is an ultra-conservative christian family living in the trailer park as well, and like every family that seeks to socially repress and morally program their children, the kids are exactly the opposite, privately, than their parents wish them to be. Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), the publicly obedient and privately rebellious daughter of the neighborhood religious fanatic family, is exactly the kind of smart and seductive girl that could complete Nick’s incomplete life, make him fall hopelessly in love and trigger his uncontrollable obsession.
Nick ultimately shoe-horns himself into a ‘relationship’ with Sheeni even though she technically already has a boyfriend. Over the summer their relationship develops and Nick’s obsesssion and desires reach boiling point. Unfortunately, Nick eventually has to return to Oakland and being 14 years old it leaves few options for the relationship to continue. Sheeni convinces Nick, with little effort, that he must do two things to save their love: 1) Get his father a job in Ukiah, and 2) Do something bad enough to get kicked out of his mother’s house so he can leave Oakland to live with his recently relocated father in Ukiah. While Nick is definitely a back talking wise-ass kid, he rarely actually steps out of line to do something about his angst. Confronted with an unquestionable desire to get back to Sheeni and his complete inability to do more than just talk, Nick does what any sane person would do — create a smooth talking no-bullshit alter ego named Francois Dillinger. Francois smokes cigarettes, scoffs at risks, swoons women and never blinks in the face of danger — actually never blinks any other time either apparently with his piercing gaze of badassery. Francois takes Nick by the hand whether Nick wants to cooperate or not and does all the things Nick wishes he could do but never could. Laws will be broken, neighborhoods caught on fire and Nick’s cautious and timid sensibilities will be cast aside as Francois teaches Nick that when you want something, you better damn well get it.
Youth In Revolt succeeds in one-upping it self with one ridiculous plan after another to win Sheeni’s affection. Nick failing at avoiding the crazy plans and their ultimate consequences created by Francois, both of whom are played by Michael Cera, escalate hilariously throughout the film and deliver solid and memorable laughs on screen. The laughs are just one aspect of the film though, as Cera successfully delivers the aimless emotional impact of the situation without over doing it. The audience laughs at the situation Nick finds himself in, but we know under the surface he’s just a poor kid striving for a real connection. Seeing the way his family acts towards him and life in general sets the stage for the sweet desperate innocence that Nick has to break out of uncontrollably into rebellion — or a slightly more mentally unstable method of creating a rebellious alter-ego. Nick found his connection in Sheeni and will do what it takes to retain it. When Nick tells Sheeni, “I’ve been alone my whole life,” it’s obvious that all hilarity and jokes aside, Nick has had a rough life and he’s not going to sit on the sidelines anymore.
Much like the source material, the film is sharp and clever. Utilizing a well-timed voice-over throughout the film, the pace of the narrative is smooth and engaging. If you have lost hope in the golden child of hip comedy, fear not, for Michael Cera proves in fact he is a legitimate actor and not a one-trick pony on his way out of a possibly too bright career. Portia Doubleday does a great job of bringing the written character of Sheeni Saunders to life as well with exactly the right amount of quirky intelligence required to fit the bill. If you are a fan of the book, you may find that too much of the story has been cut out to your liking but what they were able to adapt makes for a great, only sometimes feeling rushed or short, screenplay regardless. In any case, if you’re a fan of the book or just a fan of well made teen comedy, the film is definitely a hit and you should seek it out at your local cinemas.
Youth In Revolt will hit cinemas nationwide January 8, 2010.
8 out of 10