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Youth in Revolt

For me, this movie was awesome when it came out... still awesome after a few rewatches and anyone who says anything less is spoiled and should probably watch less TV, movies and internet

Dear viewers: the makers of Youth in Revolt would like you to know that they really want you to like their movie. They're willing to do whatever it takes. They'll give you juvenile sex jokes, partial nudity (but nothing too raunchy that might offend somebody and lose a vote), explosions, they'll give you names of philosophers, hints of sophisticated subtext, references to classic literature and quirky animation sequences, they'll hire top character actors and give them absolutely nothing interesting to do. Youth in Revolt tries so hard to appeal to everybody that it loses itself along the way. It vies to be the darling of indie-loving hipsters and hormone-addled adolescents at the same time, or in other words it tries to appeal to the Juno crowd and the American Pie crowd, but it doesn't manage to feel as quirkily likable as Juno or even the lesser 500 Days of Summer; it's also far too dark to fit in that category. For a run-of-the-mill teen sex comedy, on the other hand, the dialog, very clearly meant to tell the viewer that it's an intelligent movie for intelligent people, but clearly written with a thesaurus close at hand, feels clumsy and out of place. It doesn't help that most of the actors, Portia Doubleday most of all, clearly have no idea what the names and words they're saying actually mean. The film, in fact, stands out as one of the worst cases of bad line delivery I've seen in a while, which is jarring in a movie that evidently has a decent budget and high production values. The acting is a real waste too. Michael Cera has been playing the same character for nearly a decade now, and he generally gets away with it, mainly because he's adorably awkward enough to make the characters likable. It doesn't work this time, though; Nick comes off as en egotistical, whiny hypocrite who gets no love from the audience, and when he's playing his alter ego 'Francois' - well, let's say I'm starting to doubt that the kid has as much potential as I once thought he did. Cera doesn't take a lesson from Peter Sellers, Kevin Kline, Christian Bale, hell, even Jerry Lewis - all of whom played multiple characters in one movie and made it work. Nick is Michael Cera playing himself, Francois is Michael Cera playing himself pretending to be someone else, poorly. And while Nick is hypocritical and annoying, Portia Doubleday's character is spoiled, manipulative and deserves everything that happens to her. It's really a bad sign when you're watching a romantic comedy and rooting for the protagonists to not end up together. On top of which you have a bunch of excellent character actors and indie darlings who go to complete waste. Zach Galifianakis isn't funny, Steve Buscemi is bland and dry, Ray Liotta does nothing and M. Emmet Walsh clearly has no idea what he's doing there. The best acting in the whole movie comes from Fred Willard, all two minutes of it, which is a shame because his character had more promise than anything else in a movie. I guess a lot of people enjoyed this movie, and there's no accounting for taste, but in my opinion Youth in Revolt was so manipulative and pathetic that a couple of funny moments and a professional production weren't nearly enough to make me glad I spent 90 minutes on it.

My wife and I watched this movie last night and we both left with the same impression, that it was not very funny. I really doesn't deserve its (current) 7+ IMDb rating since it simply isn't very funny. In fact, the only positive thing I can say about it is that is a gentle movie about a topic that everyone can relate to (teenage angst about sex)... and if that sounds like I am damning it with faint praise that's because I am. The movie is a romantic farce in parts (but not very romantic and not very farcical) and it has quite nice surreal moments (the sex book coming to life was particularly well done) but these good bits were not enough to save the movie. I thought the acting was no more than functional and the storyline was weak and not engaging. But the big problem with this film was the humour -- or lack of it.

I went into this movie with a positive attitude. I was really looking forward to seeing it. The theatre I was in was about 3/4 full and over the course of the entire movie I only heard like 3 or for chuckles. Most of these came from scenes from the trailer. It does have its moment of originality. If you like Michael Cera you'll enjoy this movie. But overall the acting was blah, as the story was implausible. Overall, if you are really bored and have nothing else better you can do go ahead and see this movie, otherwise it is a colossal waste of time!

This being a good thing. When the movie wasn't sneaking up on you with quick and original situational comedy, Michael Cera's alter ego persona to Nick Twist kept taking Nick on unexpected adventures to get in the bed of Sheenie, the love interest. Without giving away any of the story, I will say the movie moved along at an almost, uncomfortable pace, venturing towards slow. This did allow for the director to slip in the magically, odd comedy. Most of the plot is totally unpredictable and will keep you interested throughout. The guest appearances of Justin Long, Ray Liota, Steve Buscemi, and Fred Willard do not take away from the movie's flow and only adds charm to this artistic comedy adventure. Portia Doubleday is cute enough playing Sheenie to where more leading roles should be coming her way. The movie was not laugh-out-loud funny throughout and deserving of only 6 out of 10.

Oh Arrested Development, how I loved thee. And yes, I was ecstatic when Michael Cera became a breakout star from the show after his awkward/naive George Michael role. Unfortunately, this had started to wear thin after he more-or-less reprised this role over and over again, with varying degrees of success. So along comes Youth in Revolt, which on the outset looks like Michael Cera playing George Michael again. Lo and behold, not only is Youth in Revolt hilarious, its also by far Cera's most diverse role yet. Youth in Revolt is about Nick Twisp. His mother has a boorish boyfriend Jerry whom Nick hates, and his father chases bimbos despite his lack of a job. When Jerry is on the run from some Russian sailors, the family goes up to a trailer park to lay low, where Nick meets Sheeni Saunders, who may well be the entire alternative/hipster scene wrapped up. She likes old music, French cinema and strange robot poetry. Eventually, the two start making out and such, but just as love blossoms, its back home for Nick. Of course, Nick won't let his "true love" get away that easy, and hatches a diabolical scheme to be back with her. To do so, he needs to break his nice-guy frame, doing so by inventing the mental persona Francois Dillinger. Francois is easily the best part of the film, also played by Cera but manifesting himself physically with Nick. Its some kind of Fight Club-ish thing going on, but the way its presented definitely feels fresh. This extra character is what puts Cera over the top. While Nick may be his standard character for the most part, Francois is a side of Cera not seen yet, very confident and moreover badass. Although part of me doubts Cera was able to grow that moustache himself. The Francois scenes are definitely the best of the film, and worth the price of admission alone. What would a comedy like this be without wacky supporting characters? This is where the movie is more hit-and-miss. Portia Doubleday is very serviceable as the idol of Nick's affection, and any guy who says he didn't majorly crush on a girl like that is clearly lying. Sure, her character is perhaps written as slightly to hipster to appease the fanbase, but the relation is by all means believable. Jean Smart stands out among the supporters as Nick's unsympathetic mother, as does Fred Willard as a very sympathetic teacher. Steve Buscemi and Zach Galifinakis get unfortunately little to do as Nick's father and his mother's boyfriend respectively. Ray Liotta is excellently used as an antagonistic cop. However, Justin Long comes across perhaps just a little too creepy as Sheeni's stoner brother, and her sweater-wearing boyfriend is simply far too much of a douche to be anything but a cliché. But whats important is that the movie is outright hilarious. Sure, there's better coming-of-age stories out there, but this one takes the cake in terms of simply making me laugh. A lot was in the trailer, but there's still more here, and Youth in Revolt is a must-see for fans of the genre.

A bit hit and miss with this movie. It has quite an indie feel to it and as with a lot of these sorts of comedies most of the best jokes are crammed in to the trailer. It made me laugh on a numerous occasions but not hysterically. Unfortunately there were also a number of times when I found myself unabsorbed with what was going on, on screen and found myself looking around the cinema to gauge others reactions. Far be it to say there were a few grinding moments the movie could have done without. This movie does like its cringe comedy and for the time I was absorbed I would say it's not that bad. In fact I probably would have liked it a hell of a lot more if I hadn't seen the trailer first which pretty much ruined all of the plot twists and jokes for me. If you like that sort of "Juno" comedy with a splash of "Fight Club" you will probably love this. However Michael Cera is going to have to step out of his shell eventually and stop playing the socially awkward dreeb, put on his man boots and try a new role. Overall I give this 5/10. Probably 6 if I hadn't seen the trailer first.

Youth in Revolt stars Michael Cera as Nick Twisp, the nebbish-gone-wild hero of Miguel Arteta's adaptation of C.D. Payne's cult-favourite novel of the same name. Trying and failing to win the attention of the sexually sophisticated Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), Nick is visited by the realization that he needs to create an alter-ego, an edgy bad-boy named Francois Dillinger. Francois has blue eyes and a moustache, he smokes, he trashes Nick's record collection and coaches him through a spree of arson, property destruction and sexual triumph. The film, like Payne's book, is slightly… off, in a very good way, three quarters heart-warming, smart character study and one quarter aggressive comic nihilism. There's an edge here, a very very pleasant one. It's left-field humour and frankness about boners makes the film feels like the work of people who are interested in the film as a funny film rather than as a vehicle. It's old-fashioned, a little punk, a little tiny bit jagged and very funny. The cast is outstanding, including performances by Jean Smart, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Zach Galifianakis and newcomer Adhir Kalyan as Nick's partner-in-crime, Vijay. Arteta has filled the film, whose script is dense and literary, with more than enough visual humour and style to keep the film from getting too bogged down in its own witty verbosity. Arteta (who rose to deserved indie prominence with the excellent Star Maps and Chuck & Buck) has found in Cera a really rare comic actor at a really rare moment; a genuine talent on the verge of deserved super-stardom. Cera absolutely mastered (at 15 or 16 seemingly) the smart-funny anxious and awkward comedy of sweaty palms and gawkish, aware nerd-hood, starring as cousin-loving Michael in "Arrested Development" and Evan in his breakout hit Superbad. He's doing similar things in the very funny Youth in Revolt but what matters, what's exciting, is that Cera seems willing to modulate his image (an image that's worth literally millions of dollars) by taking roles in films like Arteta's not-exactly-totally-run-of-the-mill teen sex flick and this past summer's very neat, very brave Paper Heart. His role in Youth in Revolt belies both a self-awareness and a willingness to take risks, to poke and twist his safe "Paulie from Juno" image. Which is why he's still funny, despite the occasional disaster (Year One, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist). It's suggestive of longevity and legitimate wit, and as somebody who wholeheartedly loves funny people in funny films, it's exciting. My score: 8/10

Michael Cera is a great actor, and this movie is no different. Youth in Revolt is more subtle than you would think, given the title and premise. Nick is a 16 year old with not many friends, a screwed up family, and worst of all, he is a virgin. Upon meeting Sheeni, he falls in love with her instantly, and will do anything to be with her. This involves creating an alter ego, and becoming an outlaw. My only real complaint is that it seemed to me that they put just enough F-words in this to get it rated R. The swearing could have been cut down to make this PG-13, to appeal to a broader audience. This is a simple teen comedy, but adults will like it too, it's very well written with a good plot, good actors that fit their characters, and plenty of laughs. Check it out, you won't regret it.