Movie Review: Youth in Revolt

Call me nerdy, but I think Michael Cera is cute.
   This infatuation is what lead me into the matinee showing of Youth in Revolt, and honestly, it was almost the only thing that kept me in my seat the whole movie.
   It’s basically the clichéd love story of teenagers: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy must win girl over, boy blows up the city of Berkeley to gain girl’s attention. You get the picture.
   Although it pains me to admit it, this is the kind of movie that has all the funny parts in the trailers.
   From his comical debut in Juno in 2007 to his equally hilarious role in Superbad, Cera has never ceased to entertain me.
   Until now that is. Cera plays Nick Twisp, an average boy (OK, less than average boy), who falls for the enticing Sheeni Saunders.
   However, in order to stay with his potential soul mate, he must get kicked out of his mother’s house to be with her. So, Twisp did as any teenager would do: create an alter-ego to carry out his wrongdoings for him – Francois Dillinger.
   Dillinger is everything Twisp is not: bold, blunt, brave and basically all around more interesting.
   I’m not sure what made this potentially hilarious flick fall flat.
   It may have been the emphasis on flat characters who were meant to shape the story, rather than detract attention from the protagonists – which is effectively what they did – such as Twisp’s codependent mother, or his cradle-snatching father, or his deeply troubled acquaintance “Lefty” or well, every other character in the film.
   Maybe, it was Cera’s partnership with Portia Doubleday, the marginally unheard of actress who played the object of Twisp’s infatuation, that made this Cera film mediocre at best.
   Regardless of what lead this film into they abyss of averageness that consumes so many movies, I wouldn’t completely cast it off of your list of movies to go see.
   While not as funny as anticipated, the exploits of Twisp and Dillinger will sufficiently provide you with 90 minutes of mindless entertainment – probably just not 90 minutes you want to pay the $10.25 ticket fare for the theater.
   My recommendation is to wait for Youth in Revolt to come out on DVD and the rent it at your local Blockbuster – or better yet – Redbox.
   To all you Cera fans, don’t be too disappointed. I’m sure we’ll see some hint of the Paulie Bleeker we know and love in his upcoming films.