Youth In Revolt (Miguel Arteta, 2009): USA

Reviewed by Emily Day. Viewed at the Grauman’s Chinese Theater, AFI Film Festival, Hollywood.

Youth in Revolt is a film about a teen who’s never bent the pages of life, always followed the rules, and never had luck with girls, until one day when he decided all that would change.

During a summer vacation, Nick Twist meets the girl of his dreams: Sheenie Saunders. But when the summer ends he is determined to find a way for the two of them to stay together; let the rebellion begin.

Burning cars, vulgar graffiti and french alter-egos ensue during Nick’s mission to win the girl. Obstacles are thrown in his way, but his determination is strong and he refuses to give up.  Though the plot was enjoyable many times it was hardly realistic. The character’s quirky personalities were unlike any person I had ever met. This possibly is what made the film so interesting to the audience. Michael Cera gives yet another laughable comedic performance.

who wouldn’t want to see another Michael Cera film? He’s awkward but charming, timid but funny, and you can always count on him for playing his roles to perfection. The problem? Possibly you may feel a sense of deja vu watching this film, if you have watched his other films; Juno, superbad, and Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist.

We met Michael outside of the theater about 10 minutes before the film began and it only took me about a couple seconds to realize that he was very similar to the characters I have seen in his movies.  It definitely raised the question, can he act or does he simply read his lines like he would his own paper?

The movie was witty and interesting  but was extremely crude and not at all a film I would recommend to a young audience. I believe a lot of the material in the film was unnecessary and could have been left out in order to give a better rating. The storyline was laughable but at times cringe-worthy if you fall on the conservative side of the spectrum. I believe this film will do very well in theaters, pulling the same audiences that enjoyed Cera’s previous films.