Youth in Revolt is the story of boring high school student Nick Twisp (Michael Cera), his less than stellar parents, and his undying love for Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), whom he met on vacation. On the eve of returning to his lackluster life from this vacation, Nick invents an alter ego, Francois Dillinger, a true “bad boy” to manipulate things so that he and Sheeni can be together.
There’s more, but why spoil the surprise.
Ultimately the first half of this film feels like a Juno rip-off. Teens don’t talk like that, I’m sorry, they don’t. They say dude, and sick, and like. Nick and Sheeni talk like they’re 35 and bored with life.
I was having a hard time getting into this movie, but I kept going, mostly to write this paltry review. However, about halfway through, there was a shift. There’s a point where Nick is outside of a building where an organ is being played, and it fades in to a song from the soundtrack, and he starts running. In that single instance, and pretty much from then on, it stops being Juno 2: Electric Boogaloo, and it feels like Kevin Smith trying to rip off Wes Anderson: a little bit artful, and a lot more fun than the first half.
The bottom line is, Youth in Revolt is American Pie for kids who read “Catcher in the Rye”. When the whole lousy world is after Nick Twisp, he just keeps going. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]
Comedy/Drama/Romance
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 6/15/10