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Michael Cera in Revolt? Nah!
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Written by Henry Mouat
Grade: C+
Despite the implications of the title, Youth in Revolt feels rather tame. For this effect, we must applaud Michael Cera, and his infallible ability to undermine all of his devious ‘revolutions’ with his frightened-chipmunk voice. To be fair, it isn’t entirely his fault that he is always cast as a timid geek (in the film industry, he’s about as classy as timid geeks get), but he has rarely strayed away from his typical personality. As a result, Youth in Revolt reeks of Michael Cera. If you have seen ANY of his films, you know exactly what to expect of him. His character from Juno or Superbad could easily have been brainwashed and placed in the setting of Youth in Revolt, because for all intents and purposes, he’s the same as ever—just with weaker dialogue.
The story is the increasingly common tale of a geek trying to lose his virginity to the girl of his dreams (more likely the girl of his desperate hormones, but we’ll stick with dreams). To achieve this seemingly insurmountable goal, he must resort to becoming a bad boy to prove that he is man enough for her (because all girls love guys who steal cars and blow up public areas—sort of like all those characters from Grand Theft Auto). What follows is the male geek fantasy of sticking it to your parents, the cops, and the general public in a wild adventure of delinquency and rebellion—all in the name of sex.
Why isn’t it a mad trip of dopey fun? Because it’s so awkward. Michael Cera’s character Nicky has the most timid and tongue-tied dialogue of Cera’s career; it’s almost painful at times to watch. Whether he’s talking to his true love, his best friend, or his own mother, Nicky is as meek as Piglet from Winnie the Pooh. This alone robs the film of laughter from too many scenes.
As his activities become more scandalous, the film picks up it the fun and starts to relax a bit. In order to win the heart of his girl, Nicky invents another personality that can be the bad boy Nicky will never be (it’s easier to induce a schizophrenic condition in your own head then you would believe). This new personality is called Francois Dillinger, and it is his presence that nearly saves the film. Francois is the most dramatic departure from Cera’s usual character ever to be seen; he’s dangerous, fearless, and devious. Why wasn’t he mentioned earlier? Because every time Francois appears, he shares screen time with his less interesting counterpart. While it is amusing to watch two Michael Ceras bickering to each other, the rebellious Francois is nullified by Nicky, and the result is the same bland performance of any Cera film. And while Francois’ appearance could have been a spectacle to rival the 3-D jungles of Avatar, it unfortunately appears that Michael Cera is only going to stretch his range as an actor one itty-bitty step at a time.
As for everyone else in the film, they are all purposefully placed to support Michael Cera’s own performance. Zach Galifianakis appears for ten minutes to drink beer and be gross. Justin Long arrives to do drugs, and then drug other people. Steve Buscemi steps into a few scenes to make out with a fashion model. A ll of these guys are genuinely funny—but not in this show. The only person who is given a chance of actually having a memorable presence on screen besides Cera is Portia Doubleday, a new actress who plays Sheeni, the girl of Nicky’s desires. She can be sweet, she can be alluring, she can be mildly devious; she is certainly so much more naturally interesting than Nicky that you wish she would appear more often.
The film certainly has its moments of laughter, and the adventure Nicky undertakes is fun, but the film suffers from overstuffing itself with Michael Cera. You could get more than a few of the film’s best moments by watching the preview. Or maybe you could just hang out with Danny O’Neel.
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