Film Reviews

Youth In Revolt

• Rating:
• Director: Miguel Arteta
• Starring: Justin Long
• Details: US/88mins (16)

Initially this strange little film comes off as something you've seen countless times before, as Michael Cera plays a virgin teen obsessed with breaking the seal. But then Cera's intellectual high school student discovers a different side to himself - literally - and things get a lot more interesting.
Director Miguel Areta's offbeat sensibilities are prominent throughout, from the weird animated sequences to the alternative soundtrack; but Youth In Revolt is more worth seeing for a warped performance from Cera, who simultaneously panders to his own typecasting, while somehow managing to take the piss out of it. Constantly amusing, but far from a laugh riot, Cera's fanbase may very well be disturbed, but they'll also be entertained.
Cera is 16 year old Nick Twisp, one of those kids that are smarter than all of the adults around him. When his mother's latest boyfriend has a run in with some sailors, the trio must bounce from town until the heat dies down, and stay in a rundown trailer park a couple of hundred miles away. While there, Nick meets the girl of his dreams, and she seems the sort that is stimulated by intelligent conversation; but she also likes bad boys - French bad boys. This causes a desperate Nick to form a visible alter-ego, Francois Dillinger; a dangerous sort, who may get Nick laid, but also killed and/or locked up.
Surrounding the Superbad star with gifted comedic supporting players like Zach Galifianakis, Fred Willard and Steve Buscemi may look good on the poster, but they're never given the opportunity to steal scenes like we know they can. Ray Liotta and Justin Long also pop up for a couple of scenes, merely adding to the list of talent not given any time to develop their characters. But this is Cera's film, and he carries it extremely well; balancing his now customary neuroticism with an edge he's never shown before.
If you get caught up in Nick's strange world, you shouldn't really notice how slight and obvious the ending is. Cera does a fine job, and shows definite range; don't be surprised to see him play a serial killer in the not-too-distant future. On this evidence, he'd be good at it.

Review by Mike Sheridan