TIFF ’09: Youth In Revolt

Youth In Revolt

Directed by Miguel Arteta

Mean-spirited screwball comedy Youth in Revolt , based on C.D. Payne’s 1993 novel, follows Nick Twisp (Michael Cera), a cynical, sex-obsessed 16-year-old who, while on vacation in a trailer park, meets and falls in love with beautiful, intellectual teen rebel Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday). The only things standing in the way of the consummation of  Nick’s  first love is Sheeni’s poetry-writing ex-boyfriend Trent (Jonathan B. Wright) and her religious zealot parents (M. Emmett Walsh and Mary Kay Place) .

It barely needs to be said that Michael Cera has perfected his socially awkward, asexual, nerdy adolescent shtick. For some, it might be tiring to see the same actor in the same role once again trying to lose the same virginity, and Youth in Revolt is more of the same. As Nick, Cera doesn’t do much to elevate the material to anything other than a typical coming-of-age story, and unfortunately he doesn’t do so well in the voice-over department with his cracking voice and muttered words, which can be a bit of a turn off.

But Cera has another role to play in the film, and it’s here that he really shines. His wickedly hilarious performance as Nick’s mustachioed, sociopathic alter-ego Francois Dillinger, conjured up to help him win over Sheeni, is engaging enough to carry the film. Without a doubt the best performance of his career, Cera takes the role of Francois as an excellent opportunity to spoof his usual persona by playing its exact opposite.

The film also benefits from a stellar supporting cast, including Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard, Mary Kay Place and Justin Long on hand to add credibility. Adhir Kalyan is the biggest surprise, playing Nick’s sophisticated school friend Vijay who joins Nick on an eventful road trip. Up and comer Portis Doubleday, as Sheeni, does a fine job of bringing the character to life, exuding the perfect amount of cute, quirky sophistication.

No stranger to eccentric characters, director Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl) makes a smart move by playing up Twisp’s outsider status, before allowing his actions to spiral out of control. Despite its R rating, the film feels innocent, and Arteta’s choice to include various types of animation by Peter Sluszka keeps the film lively. He confidently stages several funny sequences, most notably in a mushroom-tripping scene involving sex-manual illustrations.

The script by Gustin Nash (Charlie Bartlett), in condensing 500 pages of narrative, various characters and storylines, generally does the source material justice. The movie ages Nick slightly,  making him 16 rather than 14 and only encompasses the first three volumes in C.D. Payne’s six-book series, the last of which involves Nick cross-dressing and taking on a completely new persona named Carlotta. While there’s a nod to Carlotta in the film, the choice to not include this section is understandable.

Youth In Revolt more or less plays out like Jean Luc-Goddard’s Pierrot Le Fou. Like Belmondo in that film, Cera is an average joe tempted into a life of crime by a beautiful woman and, like Adventureland, the film features a brainy outcast falling for a girl who shares his refined artistic taste. Bringing Juno to mind, it leans heavily on a soundtrack of indie-rock and features plenty of Diablo Cody-esque speech. However, the film ends up feeling disjointed and, in some areas, slightly forced and formulaic.  Yet this brainy teenage sex comedy does offer a handful of great scenes and is well worth the watch.

Ricky D

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