He Can Act

You know what I hate? When I go to a theatre and I have to make a choice. Its not that I don’t like having options it’s just then I always think I am missing something great no matter what I choose. I could have enjoyed whatever I picked but there is always a little voice telling me the other option may have been better. The grass is always greener…

On Friday I had a choice Daybreakers or Youth in Revolt. They were 2 movies that I had been waiting a while to see and I hemmed and hawed about the choice. Each movie had its merits that led me to believe I would enjoy the experience. One was a serious, non-sparkling vampire movie and the other a comedic coming of age film. Both seemed highly appealing and thinking about the films themselves was not helping the dilemma. It broke down to which movie would be less full and have the smaller crowd.

I ended up seeing Youth in Revolt. Even though I thought the movie would be packed with delinquents my friend insisted it was a small film that few people would see. WHAT-EVER! The theatre was rammed and this bimbet sat beside me texting for half the movie. But you know what. I didn’t mind too much cuz the movie was good.

Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) is an intellectual teenager who reads prose, watches foreign films and listens to Frank Sinatra. He is kind, sensitive, and, of course, still a virgin. He lives with his mother (Jean Smart) a man hopping divorcee who lives off alimony payments. While on a trip to evade some angry sailors Nick meets Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday). She is an intellectual like himself, beautiful, and seductive. But life, parents, and an ex-boyfriend conspire to keep them apart. Nick develops a rebellious persona, Francois Dillinger, to hurdle these obstacles to be with the one he loves.

Michael Cera plays his usual typecast self as Nick, subtle, neurotic, and a bit spastic. But then he does something I have never seen him do before. He acts. He does his darnedest not to be himself and he does a pretty good job at it. When he takes on the Francois persona he no longer stutters, hesitates, or minces his words. He is rude, crude, and every word is chosen to incite a reaction.  I really didn’t think Cera had it in him but he proved me wrong. Maybe this will help him branch out and we will see some new faces from him.

I had never heard of Portia Doubleday until I saw this movie but after I would hope she has a good career in front of her. She portrayed Sheeni in a very Virgin Suicides manner; delicate, pretty, and damaged. And in the movie she is as she tries to defy her strict religiously extreme parents but she is no virgin and she does not intend to kill herself.

All the other characters in the movie take a backseat to the interaction of Nick, Francois, and Sheeni. They are all important, they are all dysfunctional, and they are all needed but none of them are really focused on. The supporting cast includes some well known actors including Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, Justin Long, Zach Galifianakis, and Jean Smart. And if you don’t know their name you will definitely know their face.

Youth in Revolt is based on a book of the same name by C.D. Payne and after watching this movie it makes we want to read it. The movie was good; funny, witty, and in many cases thoroughly inappropriate. But in many areas it is clear that there is something missing that was probably taken out because of time constraints and artistic licence. Don’t let that deter you from seeing it though. The movie is not choppy and incoherent it just misses a bit of background info in areas.

I recommend Youth in Revolt. It doesn’t have to be seen on the big screen cuz there are no sprawling landscapes or epic battle scenes but why not? It is a quest-to-lose-my-virginity movie that is done well. It is fun, light, and the areas where it is “deep” it is not artsy or pompous. I say enjoy but I am still left wondering, was Daybreakers any good?

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