YOUTH IN REVOLT
Superbad's Michael Cera discovers a vacation romance in Youth in Revolt, a teen comedy from Charlie Bartlett's screenwriter, Gustin Nash, and director Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck). The film is an adaptation of C.D. Payne's first book in a series of best-selling satirical novels starring Nick Twisp, a sexually charged 14-year-old whose intelligence and hormones get him into all sorts of adventures. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Director: Miguel Arteta
Cast: Michael Cera , Portia Doubleday , Jean Smart , Zach Galifianakis , Adhir Kalyan
Release Date: Jan 08, 2010
Rated R for sexual content, language and drug use
Runtime: 1 hr. 30 min.
Genres: Comedy, Comedy, Romance, Romance
Review:
Take one part Wes Anderson, one part Napoleon Dynamite and a sprinkle Fight Club’s split personality, mix with a teen angst story line and you’ll have Youth in Revolt. A subversive and off beat film that a bit off kilter but occasionally hits the sweet spot with its originality. Director Miguel Arteta gives his film a subtle pop that serves it well throughout. The script is kind of hit or miss with a few segments hitting an impressive stride but there are more than a few dead spots along the way. Cera and Doubleday’s characters also speak like they are intellectual yuppies in their late 30’s. Cera though does a solid job of making it feel naturalistic and Twisp feels very much like the kind of character we’ve become accustomed to seeing him play. He has a lot more fun playing his imaginary alter ego Francois. He’s clearly enjoying himself on screen and I think the character is underused as he mostly disappears from the film near the end. Fresh faced Portia Doubleday delivers an impressively naturalistic performance and handles the material well. The supporting cast mostly sit in the shadows and have fun with fairly clichéd stock characters. Having watched the film I understand the difficulty in marketing this film because it’s very atypical, fun if not perfect especially if you’re looking for a comedy that’s off the beaten path.
B-
