Youth in Revolt

Another late entry, I seen this a week ago. I think most teenagers have a film that embodies a mood, tone and humour that they can identify with. That film becomes their bible for a little while. I loved Donnie Darko when I was 16. Youth in Revolt (based on a book that achieved bible status) is aiming for a place in that canon. Michael Cera makes a good everyman. His dialogue, and that of every other teenager, is in the tradition of the implausibly articulate teens that feature in Heathers, Clueless, The Breakfast Club, 10 Things I Hate About You, and so on. Amidst the sophistication, there's a surreal interpretation of the crazy events you expect in Superbad and Porky's. Sailor's turning up at his door, threatening to break his Mum's boyfriends legs. A car being dismantled and re-built perfectly in their living room. 


Michael Cera plays Nick Twisp and his vilanious alter ego Francois Dillinger. They take the split personality so far, for most of the film I thought his character was genuinely schizophrenic. 


I liked the romance between the two leads. Cera will do anything she says, and she loves to play with him. But, they both unite behind teenage escapist dreams that made me think of An Education. Carey Mulligan's character and Portia Doubleday (who plays Sheeni Saunders) both look upon 60's Paris as a utopia. I like the fact that the intangible ideas of escape in both films take the very definite shape of Paris. In the 60's. 


Youth in Revolt has a liberating sense of freedom. It made me want to be more subversive and do something.. mental. Then I watched Field of Dreams, and Kevin Costner's character is a grown up Nick Twisp, and he fully commits to something mental. 


The film also reinforced my love for short feature films. Miguel Arteta's film just runs out of steam at 90 mins.