Movie Review: Youth in Revolt

I'm going to come out and say it... I love Michael Cera. I think he's funny and very entertaining to watch. I find myself relating to his "little guy" persona with each film I see him in. But I do agree with many of his critics in that he doesn't really change with each role he takes. He is essentially a one-trick pony. Which is what surprised me when he seemed to be trying to expand his range with Youth in Revolt.

Cera plays Nick Twisp, a law-abiding pushover that fears he will die a virgin. When he temporarily vacates his home and moves to a trailer park, he eventually encounters Sheeni (Portia Doubleday), a girl with an affinity for big band music. From there a romance blossoms but is quickly cut short when Nick's mother decides to move back home. Not wanting to be separated from the one girl who has loved him back, Nick devises a plot to get kicked out of his house and reunite with Sheeni. But in order to put aside his conscience, he creates an alternate personality in Francois, a suave rebel with a taste for destruction. Once Francois takes the lead, trouble starts.

This film has a lot of neat things going for it. To start, we are treated with a cleverly animated sequence during the opening credits, with several more peppered in to move the story along in a more stimulating manner.

Next comes the cast, which has a lot of familiar faces. Zach Galifianakis, though only in the film for a brief time, manages to be funny without even really trying. Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, and Steve Buscemi all do great in supporting roles without it seeming like a bunch of glorified cameos.

But the real credit goes to Cera, who (as stated earlier) does a good job morphing into the Id-like Francois. His voice, mannerisms, and body language change considerably and he does a great job at being an A-grade jerk.

Portia Doubleday, whom I've never seen in a film before, has great chemistry with Cera and holds her own in the solo scenes. Her switch from innocent girl to teen temptress and back looks effortless. She really makes you understand why Cera's character will jump through hoops to be with her.

The screenplay, written by Gustin Nash and adapted from the novel by C.D. Payne, delivers on the dark humor and adds in some elements of surrealism that really make the film more interesting. The dialogue, particularly from Sheeni's parents, is quite funny and I'm sure I'll find myself quoting it for the next few weeks.

Youth in Revolt is nice departure from the typical sex-comedies you see in the cinema. The absurd imagery and black humor, along with Cera's performance as Francois, make this arguably the best film he's done yet.

SCORE: 4 and 1/2 out of 5