Youth in Revolt review

There's very few problems I have with "Youth in Revolt", but at the same time there isn't a whole lot right with it. I will say though that Michael Cera manages to shed some of that awkwardly funny teen character for which he's played... forever and only half way plays that character for a change. The other portions of Cera's character are bullish yet charming and cause him great strides towards what he wants. His created alternate persona Francois Dillinger is that helpful asshole that could in theory get the girl of his dreams Sheeni Saunders, if only he wasn't causing so much chaos along with it. Nick Twisp, the real character is a horny, young man stuck in a mental time warp and is looking for a girl that's somewhat like that as well. That's not to be mean, but it's truthful and when he meets Sheeni she is all that he's looking for. She loves old music, records and has a love of the french and wants to move there. Cute, sounds like something people used to say in the 50's and 60's when they wanted to move somewhere cultured that they felt would have what they were looking for in life, which often seemed to be escapism.

However there are various things in the universe that seem to be keeping them apart. Sheeni has a boyfriend, her parents are strict and don't like Nick, she wants to be with someone who's 'different' (which apparently is just a clever way of saying someone who's bullish and a dick) and they live in completely different places. So Nick and at times Francois work to fix these things one by one and usually by fixing the problems separating the two, they openly break the law or cause some kind of mildly humorous havoc. "Youth in Revolt" just kind of floats along there with a couple funny sequences with Justin Long in a nice, but unnecessary character and some of the interactions with his mom and her boyfriends at the time. However the rest of the time I couldn't wrap my mind around why he wanted to be with this girl.

Perhaps it's that thing about movie love where we're supposed to just get the drift and go along with it, but the chemistry between the two wasn't particularly great and she really just wanted Nick to get kicked out of his house, move there and become a dick so that they could be together. But what might be a little crazier is that he was so in love with this chick that his burning down of a building and messing up two cars and a trailer is ok because it was for love. Maybe that works on some level in a world of less importance or a movie that's funnier, but it doesn't work here.

Michael Cera is working up the pole of being a headliner. Unlike some people I don't hate the guy, he's just been typecasted and who knows if he likes it or not, but now is the time for him to branch out and do something different or start getting different things sent to him at the very least. He's got a very good wit and comic timing, but floaty little movies like this or to a much lower extent "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" isn't doing anything for him.