Customer Reviews

Youth in Revolt

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Youth in Revolt is the adaptation of C.D. Paynes cult book by the same title. It follows the storyline of his first three novellas (later combined into a single book) that follow a young man by the name of Nick Twisp, who after discovering the love of his life does whatever he must to stay with her.

The film itself is a far cry from the hilarious prose of the witty novel that inspired it. However by itself, Youth in Revolt is surely a great romantic comedy, and Michael Cera's best performance to date. If you are looking for a short, well-directed, well-acted and hilarious romp then look no further. This is a movie I think all movie buffs should add to their collection and one that sadly went unnoticed in theaters.

After you watch the movie, if you find the characters entertaining I highly suggest picking up the books. They are a light read, very entertaining and even more well-crafted than this short feature film.

Two Thumbs Up!

Well, it's been a long wait, but Youth in Revolt is finally hitting the big screen in a wide release. And it's worth the wait. I laughed through just about the whole movie. And before I get deep into the review, I have read the book. So let's get into it.

BAD:
1. Quite short. A 90 minute romp through a 500-page novel. What?
2. CUTS! Many characters from the novel such as Apurva and Fuzzy hve been severed from the movie. Maybe Apurva was cut from them film to emphasize Nick's love for Sheeni. But Fuzzy's cut? He's the whole reason they can go to the French boarding school in Act II. What?
3. No Carlotta, really! If you have read the book you know what I mean with this.
That's it for the bad.
GOOD:
1. Hysterical! Does this really need an explanation? It's funny!
2. Animation sequences. These occur at certain points in the film to facilitate scenes. Very creative!
3. Good Acting/Cameos. The film has very good acting. Michael Cera and Portia Doubleday really steal the show. Also, they have an ensemble cast of cameos, such as Fred Willard and Steve Buscemi. Very well acted.
4. Quite faithful to the novel. Miguel Arteta did good with the novel. No new characters were introduced, only cuts.

Overall Score: 9.0 out of 10
A ten, but not really any Carlotta and no Apurva or Fuzzy. And, way too short.

This is a film that seems strange at first watching, but after a second viewing the movie is absolutely hilarious. Similar to films like "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Observe in Report," "Youth in Revolt" is an indie-esque movie with amazing performances praising its great source material. This is my favorite film with Michael Cera, and he definately displays all of his talent in this movie. The ability to play two distinct personalities that do not seem as if they are the same person, is a quality that makes Cera a fine actor. The supporting cast is perfectly formed with actors like Buscemi and Justin Long. I disagree with the critical reviews saying that Cera and Doubleday have no chemistry. Their chemistry is practically flowing out of my big screen and spilling onto the floor. And then I'll have to call Stanley Steamer to clean the chemistry off my rug. Anyway, what makes this a five star film follows:

*Hilarious script due to source material
*Every actor perfect for the role
*Amazing soundtrack that's worth buying
*The indie flavor to the film
*Crisp cinematography
*Animations and claymations(very creative way to move through a scene)

Is it worth getting on blu-ray you ask? Absolutely! The picture looks astonishing. The special features kind of lack, but there's enough to satisfy the casual Blu-rayer. Youth in Revolt is not for everyone, but it's one of my favorite comedies. Now I'm definately drawn to the C.D. Payne books. I'll be satisfied if they're half this entertaining.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I really wanted to like 'Youth in Revolt' since it began with a likable protagonist, Nick Twisp (in another typical Michael Cera 'insecure with woman' role) and his love interest, Sheeni Saunders (played by attractive newcomer, Portia Doubleday). Also in the mix is a quirky supporting cast including such luminaries as Steve Buscemi, Zach Galifianakis, Ray Liotta and Justin Long.

One is immediately drawn to Nick and Sheeni with their intellectual discussions focusing particularly on film (Nick loves art house Japanese director Ozu and Sheeni is a committed Francophile, with a particular infatuation for the famed French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo). You would never guess that Nick and Sheeni were so cerebral and liberal minded. considering the background of their parents. Nick's mother Estelle has taken up with a low-life boyfriend, Jerry (Galifianakis) who has just sold a lemon of a car to three sailors who want their money back. Jerry and Estelle with Nick in tow, take off for Clearlake (California) where they spend the week in a beat up trailer. Later Jerry has a heart attack and dies and Estelle takes up with an obnoxious Oakland police officer. Meanwhile, Sheeni's parents, who are more middle class, also happen to be fanatical fundamentalist Christians and won't let Sheeni keep 'Albert', a mangy mutt that Nick has purchased for Sheeni.

All of the offbeat banter and characters proves pretty engaging for the first thirty minutes of the film until Nick invents an alter-ego character, Francois Dillinger to help him win Sheeni's heart (he also must contend with Sheeni's preppie boyfriend, Trent Preston, who seeks to undermine Nick at every turn). The alter-ego assisting an insecure male in an attempt to woo a seemingly unobtainable love interest calls to mind the Woody Allen classic,"Play It Again Sam". You'll recall that the 70s comedy also features a lovable loser who must call upon an iconic film figure to help transform himself into a character who is decidedly confident with women. Play It Again Sam works because the alter-ego is Humphrey Bogart, who not only represents the apotheosis of male confidence with women but also the 'bad boy' who refuses to dispense with his ethical principles despite all the temptations (in Play It Again Sam, Bogart plays Rick, the good guy cafe owner from Casablanca, who saves the girl and defeats the Nazis).

Youth in Revolt, on the other hand, unfortunately gets it all wrong. Dillinger, with his pencil thin moustache, is also supposed to be a 'bad boy', attractive to women. But unlike Bogie, he's ethically challenged. He ends up advising Nick to "blow up half of Berkeley". Nick listens to his wilder, demented half and ends up crashing Jerry's Lincoln into a restaurant, causing a fire. Nick's now a wanted man (or rather a juvenile delinquent wanted by the police). Nick does more sorry things.

After going to the exclusive French private girl's boarding school where Sheeni has been exiled by her parents, Nick meets Bernice Lynch, Sheeni's next door neighbor at school, and tells her that Trent has been badmouthing her. In order to get back at Trent, he convinces Lynch to place sedatives in Sheeni's drinks. Sheeni ends up getting expelled after constantly falling asleep in class.

Since Dillinger is so unlikeable and Nick constantly takes his advice, we lose complete respect for the protagonist. Unlike Woody Allen, who through Bogart's advice becomes self-actualized, Nick becomes completely unhinged. At the end of the film, Nick attempts to stage his own death by pretending to be in a car that falls off a cliff. The bungled stunt is seen for what it is in front of a few local police officers who observe Nick fleeing in his underpants. What kind of moral are we supposed to take away from this film? That committing crimes are advisable, leading to success with women? In the end, even Sheeni has lost her sheen. She falls for the pathetic Nick and appears to acquiesce in his misbehavior. It's Sheeni who reassures him that he'll only do three months in the slammer.

Nick has more than one sidekick in 'Youth in Revolt' and they're all underdeveloped. His best friend Lefty has little screen time and by watching the DVD extras you can see that the rest of his scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Better is the second sidekick, Vijay, an Indian from South Africa played by the talented Adhir Kalyan who I predict we will see more of in the years to come. Vijay has a few amusing bits when he accompanies Nick in his foray to Sheeni's boarding school. He's also seen in an animated sequence while he drives with Nick in his grandmother's car. Finally there's Paul, Sheeni's brother, who Nick bonds with for a short time over a bunch of psychedelic mushrooms.

While the quirky characters which I alluded to before are initially engaging, they are all so underdeveloped that by the time the film concludes, we care little about them. Buscemi is particularly left high and dry in his one-note depiction of a constantly angry parent who finds himself unable to connect and bond with his alienated son.- Youth in Revolt does have some rather neat 'claymation' animated sequences, highlighted during the opening and closing credits. Coupled with an effective 'folky' soundtrack as well as clever editing, 'Youth' comes across better for its look rather than its content.

I don't know how the films' backers could have allowed the scenarists here to so easily undermine the solid character of the films' protagonists. This could have been a simple story about an insecure, geeky kid who gains confidence with women by inventing and then following the lead of his own 'bad boy' creation--a bad boy however, that still has some heart and soul. Unfortunately, the alter ego has no class and it makes little sense that the 'good kid' would choose to go down such a dark path.

Somehow I never got around to seeing this in the theaters so it finally arrived on Blu ray and I'm pleasantly surprised. On the downside, we see Michael Cera playing the same character again. That is, the high school geek who hasn't been laid. He "outruns his coverage" - I love that line - while on a summer break by the lake. Portia Doubleday plays the love interest and she's very good. Throw in a supporting cast like Fred Willard, Steve Buscemi, Justin Long, Zach Galifianakis and others and you have an interesting and fun time. There's nothing mind bending here, just a straight forward teen romcom that is better than most.

Also watch for Rooney Mara as the high school roommate of Portia's character. She has a small role but is destined for stardom in the remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" playing Lisbeth Salander. I can now envision her in the role.

I am not huge into comedies but this is definitely worth watching for a good laugh! This film was so funny. The main character's delivery was priceless. I liked the alter ego. I thought the film could have been more interesting -- I was secretly hoping that the girl ended up using him just to get to french school and that the main guy ended up with the crazy bernice chick. Not sure if it would've made a better a movie but I was hoping for a different ending. All in all, the movie is still one of the funniest I've seen!

This movie is absolutely hilarious and a must see for anyone who likes comedy. Michael Cera is absolutely amazing in this movie.

This is definitely not a film all teenagers will understand and/or get. There are a couple of a-ha moments, but the dialogue is full of wit and sophisticated rhetoric that not all young people will catch.

That being said, the film wasn't interesting at all with the trailer, but the film itself is a magical romp! It is so cool to follow the protagonist in this story and see if he gets the girl. It is a must-have if you a fan of adventurous, love stories.

Michael Cera is usually a very funny young comedian, and my personal favorite moment of his career was his role on Arrested Developement. Now it seems with the movies he's been starring in as of late, they always focus around girls, relationships and sex. Youth In Revolt is no different.

However, I feel this movie isn't *quite* as humorous as some of Cera's other movies. I feel it's time for Michael Cera to branch away from the relationship-type storylines and move into other areas of work. That's not a criticism of Youth In Revolt- just an observation of Michael Cera's career. I don't want him to fall into a predictable pattern, or he'll slowly lose his popularity and fame.

Anyway, the storyline is about Michael Cera's character forced to go on vacation with his moms scummy boyfriend. What was promised by the boyfriend to be a log cabin turns out to be a trailer park instead, lol.

Michael Cera wants a girlfriend *bad*. Well, as luck would have it, he meets a very attractive girl while on vacation. The two immediately connect, however the girl is noticeably more mature, experienced and conducts herself in a more responsible way compared to Cera's character. One memorable spot involves Michael Cera rubbing suntan lotion on her body while at the beach, lol.

I guess my biggest complaint with the film is that there's too much downtime concerning the romantic aspect of Michael Cera and the girl not only falling in love, but communicating with each other via letters and phone calls. Too much focus around romance, which surprised me. However, what made up for it is Michael's mom- she has a nasty habit of dating a different selection of men, and each one has a really unique and hilarious personality.

We soon discover that the girl has a boyfriend, so this prompts Michael to try and win over the girls love. Now here's where the storyline will either win you over or completely turn you off:

Michael invents an alterego character. Basically the way it works is like this- throughout the movie you will frequently see *two* Michael Cera's having conversations with each other. Through the magic of film making it looks believable. The alterego is more daring, willing to take chances, and give a cold hard reality check to the shy, reluctant and uncertain (normal) Michael Cera. This of course prompts Michael Cera to try harder and make a better impression on the girl.

Overall, this movie contains a fair amount of laughs, but to be totally honest I was hoping for more in the laughter category because the first 10 minutes were really funny, but then the storyline immediately gets serious and the pace slows down dramatically just as soon as Michael meets the girl. A little disappointing.

On the other hand, the laughs still make a few appearances, and one really funny scene in particular involves the parents tripping on mushrooms.

Not a bad film, but make sure you know what you're watching here- romance first, then drama, and finally comedy.

This little gem is part Napoleon Dynamite, part Zombieland, and part Twilight Zone. The basic story, boy meets girl, is old as time, but the bizarre twists and turns it takes along the way to its resolution are hysterical. The hero, a 16 year old named Nick,invents a bad boy alter-ego in an effort to impress the lady of his dreams. She's a teenage francophile, who lives with her attorney father and fanatical mother in a two story mobile home located in a trailer park.

Yes, a trailer park is a strange place for a successful lawyer to reside, but it fits in well with the overall weirdness of the movie.

The persona Nick creates quickly takes on a life of its own. It inspires Nick to engage in increasingly destructive juvenile pranks, culminating in an ill-fated attempt to steal the family car. Just as it appears he and his girl are about to get together, fate intervenes to move them further apart. This only inspires him to adopt more inventive and increasingly illegal tactics to be with her.

Along the way he must cope with his mother's desperate insecurity, his dad's mid-life crisis inspired childishness, and his girl's charming but infuriating eccentricities. He also encounters a bevy of unbalanced characters, such as his girls' older brother, who feeds his parents psychedelic mushrooms as a Thanksgiving Day appetizer.

Dry humor runs throughout the script. For example, when his mother asks, "What man would want a 48 year old woman with stretch marks?" Nick replies, "You're selling yourself short, mom. There are a number of stretch mark fetishists out there, you know."

Off the wall, intensely humorous, and ultimately touching, this is a film that shouldn't be missed. Very highly recommended.