Scott Pilgrim vs. the World An Unfair Fight

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Hyped by diehard fans of the comics, heralded by critics, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film that many expected to be a huge box-office hit. Yet upon release Pilgrim was considered a “bomb” by Hollywood analyst as the film barely cracked the top five. Many critics, marketing insiders, and blogger are still scratching their heads wondering where it all went wrong! The answer is actually clear if you really look at the film objectively. Scott Pilgrim, in its current incarnation, is too much of a niche film. It does not have, nor will it ever have the crossover appeal to hit it big with mainstream audiences.

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a musician in his twenties that has had a rather large “love them and leave them” track record with ladies. Scott is dating Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a girl who is still in high school. Things between Scott and Knives seemingly go well until Scott meets a delivery girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstad), who takes his breath away. Convinced that Ramona is his soul mate, Scott sets out to win her over while trying to figure out how to break it off with Knives. Scott’s life is further complicated when he discovers that he will need to defeat her seven evil exes (including Jason Schwartzman, Brandon Routh, Chris Evans, Keita Saito, and Shota Saito) in order to have a normal life with Ramona.

As I mentioned earlier, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is really made for fans of the comic. Though this does not mean you have to run out and get the books before seeing the movie. I was thoroughly entertained by the film despite having not read the series. Its fast paced energy and hilarious pop culture references made this film one of the more pleasant surprises of the year. However, it must be noted that the kinetic pacing of the film will not appeal to everyone.

The film intentionally plays out like a video game on crack. At times the film is almost too self-aware for its own good. There are jokes in the film that require multiple viewings before you catch all the references. For example, Broken Social Scene’s bittersweet song “Anthem for a Seventeen Year-old Girl” plays in the background while a broken-hearted Knives plots revenge; or when Scott enters his apartment, ala Kramer from Seinfeld, to a brief sound of an audience laugh track.

While the film features a plethora of talented young actors in supporting role (including Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin, Alison Pill and Mark Webber), and some inspired cameos (Thomas Jane, Clifton Collins Jr.), the real star of the film is director Edgar Wright. Through Scott Pilgrim Wright succeeds in doing what the Wachowski siblings failed to with Speed Racer, and that is to make a truly engaging live action Manga style film. Pilgrim, at times, is an overload to the senses. There are so many visual treats that you will spend half of the film figuring out how Wright achieved all the different nuances.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a film that will please fans of the source material and, in my case, cause a whole new group of folks to seek out the comics. Sure the film will not appeal to the masses, but that is fine. Those who “get” the film will be treated to an immensely entertaining ride that you will want to take multiple times. 

Youthful Revolutions Are Bad For Love

Youth in Revolt


Having sat through Superbad, Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, and Extreme Movie I was convinced that there were no more ways for Michael Cera to tell the tale of a horny teenager hoping to find love. Clearly I was wrong as Cera once again displays his well worn virgin crown in Miguel Arteta’s coming-of-age comedy, Youth in Revolt.

While on vacation with his mother (Jean Smart), and her latest deadbeat boyfriend (Zach Galifianakis), cynical teenager Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) meets the girl of his dreams in Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday). Unfortunately for Nick, the distance between where he and Sheeni live is a huge road block in their budding relationship. The only remedy is for Nick to get kicked out of his mother’s house so that he can go and live with his father (Steve Buscemi). In order for this plan to work, an upstanding individual like Nick will be required to do some truly bad deeds. Luckily Nick’s suave alter ego, Francois Dillinger (Michael Cera), is an expert at creating havoc. As Francois sets plans into motion, Nick is forced to deal with the unexpected consequences.

First off, yes, as Nick, Cera is doing still doing the same deadpan teenager role we are all familiar with. Yet the role of Francois Dillinger allows Cera to finally breakout and show a bit of range. The majority of memorable moments in the film come courtesy of Francois. He is the one of the main reasons that Youth in Revolt is able to find common ground between humour and typical teen angst.

Personally I found Youth in Revolt to be a far more entertaining teen comedy than Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist. While the two films touch on similar themes, Youth in Revolt does falter a bit in regards to the female lead. Despite her cool demeanor, Sheeni is just not as well rounded a female character as Kat Denning’s Nora was. Regardless, Youth in Revolt makes up for this flaw through its greatest asset, the wonderful supporting cast (e.g. Smart, Galifianakis, Buscemi, Fred Willard, Adhir Kalvan, Justin Long, Ray Liotta, etc.). Besides providing several great laugh out loud moments, the supporting cast also help to keep the overall pace moving briskly. The supporting players also make it much easier for the audience to handle the moments were Cera is going through his usual awkward teen routine as Nick.

Another thing that works in this films favour is the script. There is some great banter in the film that is witty without being pretentious. The breezy script also provides Miguel Arteta a chance to incorporate a few stylistic touches, such as animation, into the film. Arteta wisely does not overwhelm the film with it, but it never feels out of place when it is included. While Youth in Revolt may not bring anything new to the coming-of-age genre, it does have enough comedic moments to satisfy for a few hours.