First Hit: A film with potential, and eventually fails the farther it progresses.
Expectations are not good things to have. With a film title of "Youth in Revolt" I wanted a film worthy of this title (Think "Rebel Without a Cause" but with a comedic twist?).
Michael Cera has the nerdy milquetoast character down pat and I was hoping something really good out of him. In this film his name is Nick Twisp (Which could be a play on milquetoast) a guy who pines for a relationship and wants to have sex before he gets any older.
The opening scene of this film is hearing him masturbate while in bed to start his day. I'm not sure why this is funny or interesting and it was the choice the director made to begin this film. His closest friend is also in the same position, pining for a girl he cannot have.
Lucky for Nick his family takes a vacation to a lake where he meets Sheeni Saunders (played by Portia Doubleday). She is very forward and prompts Nick to make a date with her. She lets him know she is dating a guy name Trent who is 6' 2", swims, speaks French, and writes “futurist percussive poetry.”
However, Sheeni plays Nick along to the point where Nick falls totally in love with her and will do anything for her. To prompt himself along, Nick creates an alternative persona Francois Dillinger.
Francois convinces Nick to “burn down half of Berkeley” by blowing up his mother’s boyfriend’s car and trailer. Nick becomes a fugitive from justice but is able to easily hide because his mother’s new boyfriend Lance (played by Ray Liotta) is a cop and promises to keep Nick clear from suspicion.
Sound far fetched? It is, and this is the film’s failing. It does nothing really well despite some great actors. The failings of this story are its script and director.
Cera is good as the milquetoast guy and a little more interesting as Francois but the combination is wasted in this film. Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard, E. Emmet Walsh, and Mary Kay Place are all great actors and are also wasted in this film because it just doesn’t work. Doubleday is too sophisticated and not believable as a 16 year old girl.
Overall: This film is not believable and the farther it gets the worse it gets. In the end it simply fails and with a title like Youth in Revolt, I wanted something better not something revolting.