Visitors Review

Steven Rea (2012-05-24 21:08)

Although director Miguel Arteta's adaptation of C.D. Payne's cult-fave book series brings little new to the coming-of-age comedy genre, it's hard not to be beguiled by Youth in Revolt.

Nick Schager (2012-05-24 15:23)

[Its] classic cinema shoutouts and gaggle of off-kilter characters feel like retreads.

Clayton Davis (2012-05-21 22:29)

Cera emerges as a leading man...

Michael Cera, star of great cult classics such as Juno, Superbad, andNick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, has emerged slowly and gracefullyinto a leading man.  His film Youth in Revolt directed by MichaelArteta and written by Gustin Nash who adapted the film from the book byC.D. Payne, is a solid and enjoyable fixture for the kick off films of2010.  Cera enables much of the film in a strong comedic performance,surely one of his strongest yet, and shows tender moments, equallyshowcasing a talent to be seen in the near future in bigger, betterpictures.  There are funny supporting players performing at their best. Steve Buscemi and Zack Galifianakis being the strongest seen.  RayLiotta and Jean Smart are also memorable and good in their respectiveroles.Although the writing isn't the most brilliant and the mostclever, it provides laughable moments that keep the viewer entertainedthroughout.  From word of mouth, Nash keeps true to Payne's series ofbooks and provides just the right elements of his own interpretation. I guess you can't ask for more when adapting a popular work.  The filmin the end is passable, entertaining, and a straight-forward time atthe movies.  Nothing more, nothing less.  It's all worth awatch.***/****

Joe_Regular (2012-05-21 06:15)

Not Awesome. Not Awful. Just Average..

This film is defiantly an "offbeat" comedy. The humour is mixedthroughout as though trying to please all audiences, combining cliché"teen movie" jokes with references to obscure films and literature,most likely lost on the average "American Pie" fan. The Tone isunbalanced and the narrative goes all over the place but I suppose thatis the point. Acting is well delivered from all, with Cera playing thesame socially awkward, insecure guy as usual (but what's wrong withthat, he's the right actor for the role)In short: The story is predictable but that's to be expected. Thedialogue between the two leads is interesting and enjoyable. Musicworks excellently throughout, fitting of each scene. Colour is usedwell. Cinematography is fine (the scene where the two meet is clichédbut always nice to see.) 5/10. Strong first act, but the rest of thefilm failed to sustain that level. Worth viewing at least once for fansof the Cera and/or the genre.

Kimberley Jones (2012-05-21 02:26)

It's an enjoyable enough exercise in teen angst triumphing.

(2012-05-20 22:06)

Really funny if you like this type of humor

This review is from: Youth In Revolt (2010) (Amazon Instant Video) This is a really funny movie. That said the humor is a little dry. If you are a fan of Michael Cera's somewhat serious comic delivery then you will enjoy Youth in Revolt. I'd say worth a rental, not a purchase.

(2012-05-20 02:01)

Really funny if you like this type of humor

This review is from: Youth In Revolt (Amazon Instant Video) This is a really funny movie. That said the humor is a little dry. If you are a fan of Michael Cera's somewhat serious comic delivery then you will enjoy Youth in Revolt. I'd say worth a rental, not a purchase.

callanvass (2012-05-19 08:53)

Kind of like most Cera films, a mixed bag.

(Credit IMDb) At 16, Nick Twisp is wry about his teen funk: he lives inOakland with his sex-addled mother; his father's child support is hermeal ticket. While camping in Ukiah, Nick meets Sheeni: for him, it'slove at first sight. Nick has to figure out how to get his father a jobin Ukiah, then how to get sent to live with his father, then how to getclose to Sheeni, whose religious parents may want her sent away fromtemptation to a boarding school. There's also Sheeni's all-Americanboyfriend to contend with. Overwhelmed by the challenges, Nick's aboutto give up when he conjures an alter ego who whispers revolt into hisear. Nick is not altogether hapless, but can this end well?Youth in Revolt was a film I was half and half on. I felt the materialwas a bit too dark at times, and I really had trouble getting involvedin the plot like I should have been. Burning down a building with acar? I just didn't find the humor funny, but that's just me. Thestrongest point of the movie was probably the relationship betweenSheeni (Doubleday) and Nick (Cera) it felt real, and I liked the flavorof uniqueness it had to it. Nick's alter ego Francois is very good, butsomething felt off about it, that I can't put my finger on it.Performances. Michael Cera is very good actually, despite my criticismof my review. He pulls of the multiple personality's well. As Nick hehas a likable sense of awkwardness, while going a bit out of control asFrancois. Portia Doubleday is excellent as Sheeni. She was mysterious,and always kept me guessing. Her chemistry with Cera was good as well.Zach Galifianakis is amusing in his role. Steve Buscemi plays a normalpart for once and I bought it. Ray Liotta is priceless in his role as ashady cop. Familiar faces such as M. Walsh, Fred Willard, and RooneyMara do well.Bottom line. Doesn't quite hit the mark, but I applauded the effort.Not something I'll see again any time soon, but I didn't mind it. Wortha look.6/10

Brandon Fibbs (2012-05-16 20:01)

Youth in Revolt has one of the most dishonest endings in recent memory, a conclusion that is not simply insincere, but a bold-faced lie that stands in opposition to every frame of film that has gone before it.

t-g-orrell (2012-05-16 11:00)

How to cut yourself short with a brilliant idea.

Take a brilliant idea, add in a "poor-me" story, and use that ideasparingly to get Youth In Revolt. I kept waiting for this movie to takeoff, but it cut itself short at every angle. Spoiler Alert(not really):every funny scene was already in the previews (more or less)! And don'tget me wrong, they were funny by all means, but that momentum alwaysstops immediately and goes back to poor Cera trying to cope and prosperin his less-than-stellar life. The impression the previews give you isthat Cera develops this alter-persona and then has his influence therest of the time; had they done this, this movie would have been aclassic. Also, how do you have Zach Galifinakis NOT be funny? Anotherexample of cutting yourself short.

(2012-05-15 02:16)

Unlikeable, immoral alter-ego character nudges potential comedy in the wrong direction

*** This review may contain spoilers ***I really wanted to like 'Youth in Revolt' since it began with a likable protagonist, Nick Twisp (in another typical Michael Cera 'insecure with woman' role) and his love interest, Sheeni Saunders (played by attractive newcomer, Portia Doubleday). Also in the mix is a quirky supporting cast including such luminaries as Steve Buscemi, Zach Galifianakis, Ray Liotta and Justin Long.One is immediately drawn to Nick and Sheeni with their intellectual discussions focusing particularly on film (Nick loves art house Japanese director Ozu and Sheeni is a committed Francophile, with a particular infatuation for the famed French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo). You would never guess that Nick and Sheeni were so cerebral and liberal minded. considering the background of their parents. Nick's mother Estelle has taken up with a low-life boyfriend, Jerry (Galifianakis) who has just sold a lemon of a car to three sailors who want their money back. Jerry and Estelle with Nick in tow, take off for Clearlake (California) where they spend the week in a beat up trailer. Later Jerry has a heart attack and dies and Estelle takes up with an obnoxious Oakland police officer. Meanwhile, Sheeni's parents, who are more middle class, also happen to be fanatical fundamentalist Christians and won't let Sheeni keep 'Albert', a mangy mutt that Nick has purchased for Sheeni.All of the offbeat banter and characters proves pretty engaging for the first thirty minutes of the film until Nick invents an alter-ego character, Francois Dillinger to help him win Sheeni's heart (he also must contend with Sheeni's preppie boyfriend, Trent Preston, who seeks to undermine Nick at every turn). The alter-ego assisting an insecure male in an attempt to woo a seemingly unobtainable love interest calls to mind the Woody Allen classic,"Play It Again Sam". You'll recall that the 70s comedy also features a lovable loser who must call upon an iconic film figure to help transform himself into a character who is decidedly confident with women. Play It Again Sam works because the alter-ego is Humphrey Bogart, who not only represents the apotheosis of male confidence with women but also the 'bad boy' who refuses to dispense with his ethical principles despite all the temptations (in Play It Again Sam, Bogart plays Rick, the good guy cafe owner from Casablanca, who saves the girl and defeats the Nazis).Youth in Revolt, on the other hand, unfortunately gets it all wrong. Dillinger, with his pencil thin moustache, is also supposed to be a 'bad boy', attractive to women. But unlike Bogie, he's ethically challenged. He ends up advising Nick to "blow up half of Berkeley". Nick listens to his wilder, demented half and ends up crashing Jerry's Lincoln into a restaurant, causing a fire. Nick's now a wanted man (or rather a juvenile delinquent wanted by the police). Nick does more sorry things.After going to the exclusive French private girl's boarding school where Sheeni has been exiled by her parents, Nick meets Bernice Lynch, Sheeni's next door neighbor at school, and tells her that Trent has been badmouthing her. In order to get back at Trent, he convinces Lynch to place sedatives in Sheeni's drinks. Sheeni ends up getting expelled after constantly falling asleep in class.Since Dillinger is so unlikeable and Nick constantly takes his advice, we lose complete respect for the protagonist. Unlike Woody Allen, who through Bogart's advice becomes self-actualized, Nick becomes completely unhinged. At the end of the film, Nick attempts to stage his own death by pretending to be in a car that falls off a cliff. The bungled stunt is seen for what it is in front of a few local police officers who observe Nick fleeing in his underpants. What kind of moral are we supposed to take away from this film? That committing crimes are advisable, leading to success with women? In the end, even Sheeni has lost her sheen. She falls for the pathetic Nick and appears to acquiesce in his misbehavior. It's Sheeni who reassures him that he'll only do three months in the slammer.Nick has more than one sidekick in 'Youth in Revolt' and they're all underdeveloped. His best friend Lefty has little screen time and by watching the DVD extras you can see that the rest of his scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Better is the second sidekick, Vijay, an Indian from South Africa played by the talented Adhir Kalyan who I predict we will see more of in the years to come. Vijay has a few amusing bits when he accompanies Nick in his foray to Sheeni's boarding school. He's also seen in an animated sequence while he drives with Nick in his grandmother's car. Finally there's Paul, Sheeni's brother, who Nick bonds with for a short time over a bunch of psychedelic mushrooms.While the quirky characters which I alluded to before are initially engaging, they are all so underdeveloped that by the time the film concludes, we care little about them. Buscemi is particularly left high and dry in his one-note depiction of a constantly angry parent who finds himself unable to connect and bond with his alienated son.- Youth in Revolt does have some rather neat 'claymation' animated sequences, highlighted during the opening and closing credits. Coupled with an effective 'folky' soundtrack as well as clever editing, 'Youth' comes across better for its look rather than its content.I don't know how the films' backers could have allowed the scenarists here to so easily undermine the solid character of the films' protagonists. This could have been a simple story about an insecure, geeky kid who gains confidence with women by inventing and then following the lead of his own 'bad boy' creation--a bad boy however, that still has some heart and soul. Unfortunately, the alter ego has no class and it makes little sense that the 'good kid' would choose to go down such a dark path.

mcsheehey (2012-05-14 14:10)

Refreshing, if Not Revolutionary

"Youth in Revolt" is original. It's not quite like any "teen movie"I've ever seen. Just as its source material offered a fresh twist tothe dork-meets-girl scenario in ink, the film offers the twist onscreen."Youth in Revolt" centers on unconventional teenage rebels; thesearen't the hoodlums you'd expect to see smoking pot on street corners.In fact, these characters are essentially adults trapped in awkwardteenage frames. They have sophisticated tastes and profound desires,but they also carry themselves clumsily and desperately try to shedtheir virginity. This mature immaturity makes both Nick (Cera) andSheeni (Doubleday), along with a number of minor characters they meetthroughout the film, compelling and unique human beings.As Nick Twisp, Michael Cera carries the film. His awkwardly clevernarration provides for fairly consistent laughter, and his quest forSheeni's heart puts him through a dramatic ringer. As good as Cera isas lovable loser Nick, nothing can prepare the audience for his work asTwisp's alter-ego: Francois Dillinger. Dillinger is the anti-Nick,which also makes him the anti-Michael Cera, but Cera pulls off hisboldness and iron will hilariously. Cera's dual performance keeps thefilm fresh when it begins to get a little dull.As Sheeni, the primary love interest, Portia Doubleday concocts anunconventional leading lady. She seems to embody every characteristicof the female teenager at the same time, and it's not hard to see whyNick would idolize her.The film focuses on Cera and Doubleday for the most part, and theirrelationship is strange, and therefore refreshing. Clichés are avoided,unexpected roadblocks pop up, and teenage love rears its ugly,fascinating face. The romance seems real, as well as funny.When 'Youth in Revolt" turns its focus away from the youths, it'shit-or-miss. Jean Smart is fine as Cera's aloof mother, but thecharacter itself is one-dimensional and strangely conventional for sucha nonconformist movie. Steve Buscemi is fine as the father, but he'snot given much to do. The standouts among the supporting playersinclude Fred Willard as an immigrant-phile, Justin Long as Sheeni'sstoner brother, Mary Kay Place as Sheeni's Bible-wielding mother, andthe two unknowns who portray Nick's friends, Lefty and BJ.Aside from a couple of intentionally quirky animated sequences and oneor two clichéd stock characters, "Youth in Revolt" plays by its ownrules, and it wins marvelously.

Rosamund Witcher (2012-05-13 15:20)

A fresh, funny take on the classic coming-of-age tale, and a chance for Cera to show us what he's made of.

Kyle Smith (2012-05-12 22:59)

An improbable but hilarious combine of losin'-it comedies and the rarefied, Europhile air of the Cinema du Twee.

jotix100 (2012-05-10 10:03)

Girl of his dreams

Nick Twisp is a rarity among his peers. He might appear to be a nerd,but it is refreshing that he shows an interest for art films,especially French movies, past, or present. He sticks out like a sorethumb among the people in his class. Secretly, he pines for the onegirl that he might not even have a chance to make it: Sheeny, the greatlooking young woman. To his amazement, Cheeney happens to like the samethings as Nick, which goes to show the luck of some guys like Nick.Nick comes from a broken home. Her mother, Estelle, is living withJerry, a man much younger than her, when we first meet her. Nick'sfather, George, is a loser. He is also presently involved with a bimboand who knows her reasons for staying with the man. Nick wants Sheenyin the worst way. Her upright religious parents are not exactly elatedwhen they find out their daughter shows an interest in Nick.When Shenny decides to go to an all French school, Nick is crushed. Hehas to find a way to prevent that to happen, but instead, he getsinvolved in a horrible situation that ends up in a small tragedy whenthrough his actions, a fire is started in a central property in town,with the loss of several million dollars, but with the help Lance, thepoliceman sent over to interview him, he gets away with being arrestedas the cop and Estelle become romantically involved.Nick's way to cope with his situation is to try to do everythingpossible to get Shenny get back to his town, but his strategy backfireswhen his alter ego, who is just the opposite of him, decides to play acouple of tricks that result in Sheeny being expelled from the tonyschool.Directed by Miguel Arteta, the man behind "The Good Girl", and "CedarRapids", he takes a different approach in how to stage a film that isbasically targeted for a younger audience. The film is based on a novelby C.D. Payne we have not read and the screen adaptation was written byGustin Nash with amazing results. Mr. Arteta succeeds in presentingNick, a young man who in other director's hands would have been madeinto a caricature, and here he is given some dignity in the way hecomes out on the screen. Michael Cera is a personable actor who has been involved in some goodfilms, "Juno" among them, showing a range in his acting. Above all, heis never obnoxious, or in your face kind of person in any of the thingswe have watched him do. He is asked to play his normal self and hissophisticated, and more mature alter ego, Francois Dillinger,alternating easily between the roles.His main interest is PortiaDoubleday, a new face in movies targeted for a young audience. Also inthe cast, veterans Jean Marsh, Ray Liotta, Mary Kay Place, M. EmmettWalsh, Fred Willard, Zach Galifianakis and Steve Buscemi, who hasnothing to do in the film. The film is light and must be seen for what it is so it will be enjoyedby its own merits.

Saad Khan (2012-05-09 20:07)

the R-rated dialogues and fast paced of the movie keep it very engaging. I had great time watching it.

YOUTH IN REVOLT – CATCH IT ( B+ ) Youth in Revolt is lot better then Ihad expected. It's funny, hilarious and very engaging. The screen playand dialogues are really sharp, the movie move forwards really fast andthe story changes in every 15 minutes. Michael Cera is great as alwaysbecause he is been playing these roles in every other movie. I likeMichael Cera but I am thinking He is becoming the main reason that goodmovies like Youth in Revolt and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World are notdoing great at the Box Office. Audiences don't want to see actor dosame think over and over again. I wised they would have cast any newactor whose life would have changed by characters like Scott Pilgrimand Youth in Revolt. Portia Doubleday is really adorable, at first Ididn't find her attractive but she started to grow on me. The bestthing about her is she looks fresh and totally pure & natural. EricKnudsen is really cute, though he was in two scenes only, still helooked really adorable. Jean Smart is amazing & incredible; it's sogood to see her again after Samantha Who? Justin Long, ZackGalifianakis & Ray Liotta brings lots of laughter. Rooney Mara, TrevorDuke, Jonathan B. Wright, Adhir Kalyan & Jade Fusco were good. Overallthe R-rated dialogues and fast paced of the movie keep it veryengaging. I had great time watching it.

Amy Biancolli (2012-05-05 23:57)

A clever and often riotous burst of cynicism that pushes, let's face it, some pretty questionable ideas.

Colin George (2012-05-05 10:28)

"Youth in Revolt"

"Youth in Revolt" had enormous potential as the anti-indie indie. Mydisdain for the stale, 'quirky' writing and cutesy film-making thatcharacterize modern independent film-making has been well documented,and the majority of director Miguel Arteta's R-rated film challengesthose conventions. That the prince of Sundance himself, Michael Cera,stars in the picture creates an immediate expectation for its content,which is dashed even before the projection of the first image.Heavy breathing, a corporate logo. We open on Cera as wimpishly namedprotagonist Nick Twisp masturbating to a 'Hustler' magazine. "PaperHeart" this is not.The film, based on a novel by C.D. Payne, is refreshing for itswillingness to portray characters with conflicted morality, offering anaccount of the teenage experience that doesn't just jack "Juno's"offbeat precociousness. The disturbing trend in recent indie comedies,emerging probably with "Napoleon Dynamite," has been to sculpt worldsbereft of genuine character conflict. This architectural sentimentalitypunctuates a Mr. Rogers-esquire coda: everyone is special in their ownspecial way.In "Youth in Revolt," Twisp creates an alter-ego for himself in orderto win the heart of his trailer-park sweetheart Sheeni Saunders (PortiaDoubleday). Enter Francois Dillinger. The character, also Cera, butaccentuated by a pencil-thin mustache and eternally lit cigarette, isan exercise in antithesis for Twisp. While under the sway of hisdeadpan Frenchman persona, the character engages in some legitimatelyshocking behavior, the hilarious highlight of which is causing amultimillion-dollar fire in a sleepy metropolitan café via a stolentrailer with the words, "God's perfect asshole," spray-painted on theside. That phrase alone is too brazenly vulgar to have belonged to anyother indie film this year. The latter half of "Youth in Revolt"largely consists of Twisp/Dillenger digging himself into deeper anddeeper criminal trouble, all with the intention of winning over theelusive Saunders. Other memorable sequences include a half-naked escapefrom a French prep school, grand theft auto, and cross-dressing.These are the sort of legitimately quirky plot points indie auteursshould aspire to, and they make a huge difference in shaping amemorable experience, but unfortunately, even "Youth in Revolt" failsto follow through. By the end, the raunchy, surprising, and darklycomedic elements cave to a typically Hollywood schmaltzy ending. Twispis arrested for his crimes, but still gets the girl and learns alesson: Sheeni didn't love him for Dillenger, she loved him for Twispall along. She's going to wait for him to get out of juvenile hall (itshouldn't take that long!). Give me a break.A riskier ending could have forgiven the film its more minor flaws,which instead make "Youth in Revolt" a tricky film to score. It's alittle overlong, perhaps more a function of uneven pacing than theactual running time, and the use of animation for a few of thesequences doesn't serve any immediate purpose beyond servicing a fauxhome-made aesthetic.Those as sick of even hearing the word "indie" as I am certainly won'tlose any sleep over skipping "Youth in Revolt." Still, it's nice to seeCera branch out a bit, even if Dillenger is a decidedly undemandingrole, and the body of the film takes more risks than any mainstreamindependent comedy in recent memory.It may not be the anti-indie indie, but it's not another clone.

Allan Hunter (2012-05-05 02:30)

The initial wit is replaced by youthful high jinks, animated interludes and some incredibly convoluted plotting. A shame really because for the first half hour this looked like comedy gold.

(2012-05-05 00:02)

This is Michael Cera's best movie..........so far

This film like no other has really pushed Michael Cera further than I thought he would go. In the show Arrested Development he was already building up this straight guy persona, with this kind of geek, nerd appeal. YOUTH IN REVOLT was the perfect vehicle for this actor. Cera really makes this movie his own and in my opinion could be a neo-cult classic along the same lines as Schwartzman in Rushmore. The evil alternate-character Cera switches back and forth from steals every scene. Cera has become an actor in the same tradition as Jack Lemmon. By far the BEST MOVIE I have seen all year......