Nick & Sheeni’s Infinite Playlist – ‘Youth in Revolt’ Review

Posted on January 11, 2010 - 8:21am by michael It’s interesting that Michael Cera has starred in as many good movies as he has, since he’s played exactly the same character in every role. But surprisingly enough, for some reason he plays that role well enough that it hasn’t gotten old yet, at least when it’s done within the confines of a clever little romantic comedy. Viewers looking for something new in almost any department from characters to story may be a little disappointed, although there are a few interesting (although ultimately pointless) scenes done in various kinds of claymation. Youth in Revolt doesn’t break much new ground, but it’s a sight better than the sorry material that the studios generally unload every January. Michael Cera plays himself again – a skinny, geeky high school kid who can’t get any attention from girls to save his life. Reminds me a little of myself. And as if his hopeless geekiness wasn’t bad enough, he’s also been freighted with the unfortunate name of Nick Twisp. It would take some serious game to overcome such obstacles, and if there’s one gift with which Mr. Twisp has not been endowed, it is game. When God was handing out charisma, Nick Twisp was fantasizing about making out with his cousin in Arrested Development. Nick lives with his single mother and whatever dirtbag she might be dating at any given time, and his life is generally occupied with trying to figure out how to rid himself of his blasted virginity and how not to ever end up like the adults in his life. His parents are divorced and each flaunts their seedy sex lives in Nick’s face as he struggles with his emerging sexuality and incongruous charm. Soon an unfortunate car sale earns his “step-father” a group of Navy enemies, so the family takes a much-needed vacation to the charmingly named Restless Axles Trailer Park, where Nick has a stroke of luck in meeting Sheeni Saunders. She’s not only beautiful and charming, but actually talks to him. This is the first of a whole stream of new experiences for Nick. When the dreaded time to go home arrives, Nick promises Sheeni that he’ll do whatever it takes for them to stay together, and thus begins his quest to somehow bring them together, starting with coming up with reasons why he really really needs to take a trip and ending with…well, let’s just say that with the help of his imaginary alter-ego he sets in motion a chain of events that moves forward with such velocity that it almost becomes a character in itself. Cera plays his role with the perfect flatness. He’s like a young David Spade, capitalizing on his physical weaknesses, but without all of that excess that Spade developed from trying to keep up with Chris Farley. Cera nails his lines with such precision and calmness and he inhabits his character so snugly that you won’t be thinking about how many times he’s played this character, but what it’s like to be a young, famous Hollywood actor, but still be saddled with this awkwardness in real life. And besides that, in playing Nick’s alter-ego, Francois Dillinger, he is able to branch out his role a little bit, and Cera manages to do it, believe it or not, without ever breaking character. For a guy who has played the same role as many times as Cera has, it’s surprisingly easy to see how talented he is. Steve Buscemi is at his greasiest as Nick’s father, an unemployed loser living with a hot blonde half his age (Ari Graynor), and Zach Galifianakis and Ray Liotta both take creepy turns passing through Nick’s life as his mother’s (Jean Smart) boyfriends. But it is newcomer Portia Doubleday, who plays Sheeni, that almost steals the show from Cera. She was perfectly cast as a regular girl you might meet on a family trip, instead of some faceless Hollywood hottie that you generally find in movies about high school kids. She’s beautiful in a normal way, the way that doesn’t generally get you into movies whose weak scripts require heaps of superficial aesthetics. Youth in Revolt probably won’t be remembered as one of the great romantic comedies of the year, but the teenage romantic comedy is a much-troubled genre and this is definitely one of the better ones. It’s a distinct step up from last summer’s Year One, and it even avoids being overtly predictable, which might be one of its best features. Definitely recommended! The Bean Meter