Weeks Too Late: Youth in Revolt

Youth in Revolt. Directed by Miguel Arteta & Written by Gustin Nash.

Preconceptions: Lets not make any bones about this. I don't like Romantic Comedies. I also don't like their raunchy older cousin from college the Sex Comedy. While this looked a little less run of the mill than Getting Back Some Girl at Christmas or Having Sex with Some Guy at University I wasn't really that excited about it. But since I dragged everyone to Avatar, it was only fair that one of my other buddies got to pick a movie.

I like Michael Cera, I do. I like him even though I know that, one of these days, I'm going to write something about how tired I am of his awkward kid shtick. I'm not there yet but I was worried that this movie would be the one that tipped the scales. I really, really hope that he stops taking whatever it is that's keeping him from becoming a real boy and does something different soon.

General Review: Well. I can't say I hated it with the fiery passion I usually reserve for sentimental tripe (particularly nostalgic for your youth sentimental tripe). I could feel the writer/director trying to make the movie captivating, quirky and a bit different than everything I'd seen before. And they succeeded in some minor ways that kept me from wanting to gouge out the eyes of everyone around me until the movie finished (well how do you entertain yourself?).

There were a couple of very neat animated sequences that were used as transitions and the obligatory drug use scene. Michael Cera DID stretch himself a bit by playing the imaginary alter ego (Fight Club lite). It was nice to see him doing something a bit different even if it wasn't for much of the movie. I was also pleased that his love interest (played by Portia Doubleday-really? That's the name of a person?) didn't initially promise to wait for him forever when he moved away. It's genuinely unusual to see a girl saying that life is too short to try and keep up a long distance teenage romance.

Despite obvious effort Youth in Revolt did have a lot of the same tired cliches. Sex hungry teens go on a road trip (check); love interest has a classically handsome douche after her affections (check); love interest forgives the main character stalk-y behaviour (check); and then...I...zzzzz....What? What am I doing here? Right. Talking about some movie. Right. Ahem.

Anyways, there were funny bits that didn't just resort to the same exhausted sex, gender and drug jokes (though those were in there). If I had to see a romantic comedy movie I'm glad it was this one. It had redeeming qualities and I didn't resort to irritating (or maiming the people) around me. If you must go to a romantic or sex comedy keep in mind that Youth in Revolt didn't feel like being beaten over the head with an erection...joke for an hour and a half.

Random Thoughts: The guy who plays the Mac in the Mac vs PC commercials is in this. No funny thoughts, it just threw me.

Let me digress for a moment and talk about one of the theaters that we go to. This theater doesn't permit boogieing:

Now, some of you might think that this is an anti-skateboarding or anti-stick standing sign.
Nothing could be further from the truth. This is skateboarding:





















This is boogieing:














I and my friends were almost immediately asked to leave the parking lot.