Will Michael Cera get laid? Several fine films have already dealt with the weighty topic of the actor's on-screen deflowering -- Juno, Superbad, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It's the central question yet again in Miguel Arteta's Youth In Revolt, an adaptation of C.D. Payne's cult novel. Will Nick Twisp (Cera) get to do it? And do we care? The answer is an emphatic yes.
In case you are worrying that young Cera is falling into the trap of becoming a caricature of himself, I'd like to set your mind at ease. In Youth In Revolt, Cera shows a new level of depth--and I mean this. He plays both Nick Twisp, the geeky teen who cannot get the girl, and also his alter ego, imaginary French bad boy Francois Dillinger. The rebellious Francois sports a pencil mustache, he wears a crisp blue Oxford shirt, absurd tight white pants, and he expertly instructs Nick in the art of mayhem --all of it in pursuit of a girl.
And what a wondrous girl she is. As the precocious and nubile Sheeni Saunders, newcomer Portia Doubleday is the first major discovery of 2010. She is a girl worth the extraordinary hi-jinks she inspires in Nick. Their banter is sharp and funny, ranging from discussion of recent Criterion Collection DVDs to strategies for outsmarting bothersome parents. Sheeni Saunders is not just extraordinarily fresh and pretty; she's also super smart. I like that in a love interest.
And what a wondrous girl she is. As the precocious and nubile Sheeni Saunders, newcomer Portia Doubleday is the first major discovery of 2010. She is a girl worth the extraordinary hi-jinks she inspires in Nick. Their banter is sharp and funny, ranging from discussion of recent Criterion Collection DVDs to strategies for outsmarting bothersome parents. Sheeni Saunders is not just extraordinarily fresh and pretty; she's also super smart. I like that in a love interest.
In the course of Youth In Revolt, Nick gets caught in a series of improbable, funny escapades: a massive fire in Berkeley started by that mischevous Francois (or was it Nick?), a break-in at Sheeni's French boarding school, a Thanskgiving meal with Sheeni's religious parents (Mary Kay Place and M. Emmet Walsh), dosed on psychedelic mushrooms by Sheeni's older brother (Justin Long). The terrific ensemble cast also features Jean Smart as Nick's cleavage-bearing mother, Zach Galifianakis and Ray Liotta as Nick's mother's inappropriate boyfriends, Steve Buscemi as Nick's father, the hilarious Ari Graynor as Nick's father's inappropriate girlfriend. The still unknown (but hopefully not for long) Adhir Kalyan makes a remarkably fine appearance as Nick's high school ally.
Youth In Revolt (2010)
Starring: Michael Cera, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart, M. Emmet Walsh
Directed by: Miguel Arteta
Produced by: David Permut, Steve Bing, Miranda Freiberg
Release Date: January 6, 2009
Distributors: Dimension Films
Directed by: Miguel Arteta
Produced by: David Permut, Steve Bing, Miranda Freiberg
Release Date: January 6, 2009
Distributors: Dimension Films
