YOUTH IN REVOLT (A-)
This film is not one of those comedies that will make you roll around on the ground laughing. It is a well written narrative full of small laughs, smiles, and the occasional hiccup of hilarity. A few moments during the movie I laughed hysterically; an escape by Cera and his buddy from a female dorm comes to mind. Youth in Revolt also stars the talent of Justin Long, Zach Galifianakis, Steve Buschemi, and Ray Liotta.
Michael Cera plays Nick Twisp, the same nervous twitchy confidence lacking adolescent nerd he always portrays. This film is different because it features him playing the above described character plus a constantly smoking alter ego named Francois Dillinger. He creates the alternate persona so he can win the heart of a girl named Sheeni he is in love with. The two characters like each other but distance keeps separating them because he is forced to live away with his mother or she is shipped off to boarding school. Nick becomes Francois to change his living situation and to change Sheeni's perception about him.
The two main characters have good chemistry with each other which makes this movie much more enjoyable to watch. The love interest is the charming Portia Doubleday who has almost no previous acting experience. She did excellent with her character and brought some decent emotion to the screen. Even though Cera has played the part many times before it was still enjoyable to watch him play it again. With the addition of his alternate persona it made this film twice as interesting to watch; especially when you have no idea what Francois will say or do next.
Overall, this was a very well executed production on all fronts. The narrative unfolded with good storytelling coupled with very well written dialogue within it. The music and direction went hand in hand and boosted the viewing experience for the viewer. It helped this movie become more than just another Michael Cera comedy.
One thing I particularly liked was when the Cera's character is on the road the art department found creative ways with animation and stop motion to represent his journey. Even if you don't like his usual fidgety role there is another Cera character to behold and plenty of other great things going for this movie you can enjoy. It is very funny, well written, and the producers solidly execute the intangibles. This is definitely a good start to the 2010 year comedy-wise. See it.
Can't leave without a great picture of Portia Doubleday...she is dreamy.
*
