www.theredrighthand.co.uk
| The Red Right Hand www.theredrighthand.co.uk |
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YOUTH IN REVOLT Miguel Arteta Starring Michael Cera Portia Doubleday Michael Cera annoys the hell out of me. You should all be aware of this by now. His performance in last year's Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist gave me hope but I still stressed the importance of him undertaking a role of such radical difference or he would be cursed to the horrors of typecasting. He's now halfway there. Nick Twisp [Cera] is a fairly average sixteen year old dork living in a trashy broken home. After his mother's boyfriend cons three sailors into buying a busted car, they spend the week ... somewhere else (sorry, mustn't have been paying that much attention). Anyway, they arrive only to be greeted by a dilapidated excuse for a caravan. One morning Nick happens across the young Sheeni Saunders [Doubleday] and a brief fling ensues. As their time together draws to a close, Sheeni explains that she has a boyfriend and that her exceedingly religious parents wouldn't approve. Besotted, Nick claims he would do anything to be with her. It is at this point that young Mr. Twisp decides to relocate his father (closer to Sheeni) and get kicked out of his mother's home. In order to do this, he creates the alter-ego Francois Dillinger, a persona without inhibitions and no regard for authority. That would be simple enough but the film lumbers on as Nick is continually presented with new obstacles that separate him from the woman he loves. This is far from a great film. In truth, it's a very forgettable movie littered with outrageous moments from a moustached Michael Cera and a heap of comedic supports and cameos. The pacing is terrible, the conclusion a little unfeasible and the humour very one-track and more mature audiences are going to instantly despise it. Having said that it neatly sidesteps the typical pitfalls of teenage comedy (namely avoiding gratuitous nudity) proving itself original and largely engaging. On a side note, you may notice this is a fairly short review; there are two reasons for this. 1.) I'm ill. 2.) This film failed to make an impression on me either way; at the end of the day it felt like a vehicle for Cera and little else. Release Date: 5th February 2010 The Scene To Look Out For: From what I know of the book, the film deviates away from the plot as often and as wildly as it can but the moments that caught me off guard were the random animated sequences. I don't know what happened but it seems that every quirky indie comedy must have at least two-three animated montages, detailing the cast travelling somewhere. It's not that they weren't visually interesting or reasonably well executed, it's that they felt wholly unnecessary and nothing more than a fan-service to audiences that simply expect it now. Notable Characters: As stated above, this is a Cera vehicle and as amusing as the supporting cast are, their presence only feeds Cera opportunities to zip out one-liners. Having said that, Cera certainly deserves a great deal of praise. Granted, studios, typecasters and mainstream audiences aren't ready for a radical on-screen personality change in an actor they all know so well but Cera's performance as Dillinger is one of complete commitment -- had he acted that way throughout the entire film, I imagine we would be ready for a role in which Cera plays someone other than himself. Time will tell. Highlighted Quote: MR. FERGUSON: Where are your clothes? VIJAY: INS took them MR. FERGUSON: And why are you naked? NICK: ...solidarity In A Few Words: "There are a great deal of positive elements here that contribute to create a unique teenage comedy but all-in-all there are simply too many derivative factors that hold the whole film back" Total Score: 
6/10Matthew Stogdon |
