Youth In Revolt [MA]

This is the story of Nick Twisp, a loveable teenager with a taste for the finer things in life like the music of Frank Sinatra and the films of Federico Fellini. Whilst on a family vacation Nick fall hopelessly in love with the free-spirited Sheeni, but geography, family, and jealous ex-lovers threaten to keep the two apart. So Nick joins forces with his newly developed alter ego, Francois, and journeys down the path of destruction and unpredictable consequences just to be with the love of his life. 

After watching Scott Pilgrim Vs the World for what seems like the thirtieth time over New Years, I’m currently on a bit of a Michael Cera binge. This film has been out for a while, but I had never had the desire to sit down and watch it. As a New Year’s resolution, I have decided that it’s best to just go on impulse and hire out whichever films spark the slightest bit of interest at work. You never know what gems I might find. This film was a gem. It’s an original story of destruction built upon a core of sappy summer romance. It’s a little quirky and off-centre and quite a few familiar faces are scattered throughout, making it highly enjoyable. 

This is the story of Nick Twist, a loveable teenager with a taste for the finer things in life such as the music of Frank Sinatra and the films of Federico Fellini. Sixteen years old and a virgin coming from a broken home, Nick leads a dull and miserable life. That is until he goes away on a family vacation and falls head over heels in love with the perfect and free-spirited Sheeni. But family, geography, and jealous ex-lovers threaten to keep the two apart. So Nick joins forces with his newly developed alter ego, Francois, and together they head down a path of destruction and unpredictable consequences, all for Nick to be with the girl of his dreams. 

Michael Cera stars as Nick and Francois and his performance in these two completely different roles made me realise how good an actor he is. For half of the film he’s shy, innocent, and subtly sarcastic. Then for the other half of the film he is seductive, manipulative, and passively aggressive. Michael Cera is a genius! 

This was a really spontaneous and quirky film, it even featured a little bit of stop motion animation as well as your usual animation when on a mushroom high. 

Starring Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, Mary Kay Place, and featuring appearances by Zach Galifianakis, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, and Justin Long, Youth in Revolt is a quirky romantic comedy about a rebel who wasn’t a rebel until he found his cause. 

Filled with sex, drugs, beatings, explosions, fire, cross-dressing, and a few epic fails, it’s a rollicking train ride to Hell that will have you laughing all the way.