Youth in Revolt isn't an accurate picture of teen rebellion to the letter of the law, and bless its heart, the flick never posits itself as such. But in as a colorful fantasy born out of the ennui of an Oakland teenager, Nick Twisp (Michael Cera), director Miguel Arteta and screenwriter Gustin Nash capture the spirit of youth in all its pretentious, horny, reckless glory.
Taken from the novel by C.D. Payne, Youth in Revolt flirts with disaster from the beginning -- there are animated sequences, mushroom hallucinations, and the whole thing is based around a very high (pun only slightly intended) concept. When teen outcast Nick needs to become something badder and more exotic in order to court fair lady Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), he invents a fearless, French alter-ego: Francois Dilinger.
With all this packed in, the film easily could have ended up another quirky indie mess, but past the deliberate character affectations, there's much more thought and feeling to Youth and Revolt than some of Cera's other works, namely Superbad and Juno.
Michael Cera Proves His Versatility as a Dual-Leading Man in Youth in Revolt
In his post-Arrested Development career, Cera has become a bit of a one-trick pony. He's the delightfully nervous alternative to the obnoxiously self-assured leading man, which makes his on-screen persona the sort you would like to see more of. But for a young talent, it's a little disconcerting to see Cera stick a little too closely to what appears to be comfortable (even as he shifts in discomfort from role to role).
Youth in Revolt's Nick/Francois balancing act marks an important turning point for Cera as an actor. Twisp -- who we meet mid, um...stroke in his bedroom at the film's opening -- has a lot in common with other Cera protagonists, but as he embraces the wild side, we get to see Cera's real chops. He is completely convincing as the cigarette smoking Francois, Nick's suave and destructive liberator, his id as he believes Sheeni wants him to be.
What elevates the Francois ploy from mere playful gimmick is how we see Dillinger's evil streak spill over into Nick, diluting his good intentions and leading him down some morally questionable (but comically sound) territory. Arteta doesn't rely on the split-personality construct more than he needs to, milking the concept to just the right extent.
Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta and Jean Smart Round Out Ace Supporting Cast
One of the greatest joy's Youth in Revolt has to offer is what may be one of the more spectacular set of character actors to grace the screen in a long time. From Sheeni's devout Christian parents (Mary Kay Place and M. Emmet Walsh) to her drugged-out brother (Justin Long), Nick's father (Buscemi), mother (Jean Smart) and mother's boyfriends (Zach Galifianakis, Ray Liotta), Youth in Revolt is crawling in talent. Whether or not its true, it feels as if Arteta got his first choice down to every supporting character, and everyone delivers.
Rather than following the way-overdone indie recipe for dysfunctional families, Youth in Revolt has a rougher, almost anti-family streak running through it. Even Nick's surrogate figures (Fred Willard as the most socially-conscious neighbor) fail him, forcing Nick to extract lessons of chivalry and manliness from Frank Sinatra, or Sheeni's idols, Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Paul Belmondo (Breathless).
Sheeni isn't quite as well defined as her expressed interests in French culture, though Doubleday imbues her with an assertiveness and charm that captures Nick's heart when they meet in Northern California, while Nick and his mother (Jean Smart) are on the run with his bum boyfriend (Galifianakis). As Nick's love interest, she's more than an equal, she's his challenging ideal, correcting him on the difference between Ozu and Mizoguchi. If she doesn't completely overcome the "manic pixie dream girl" archetype, then at least Sheenie does feel more believable (and less cliche) than similar characters in that time-honored indie tradition.
All For Sheeni - The Cry of a Youth in Revolt
There's a lot to really love in Youth in Revolt -- the film is clever, well performed and embraces the poor moral compass of adolescence in a more honest way than most self-proclaimed serious examinations of those formative years. Perhaps the best thing about Youth in Revolt, though, is that Arteta and Nash refuse to apologize for Nick's awful decisions. Love may conquer all and there are lessons about being true to yourself that feel a bit force fed, but Youth in Revolt can be forgiven because it really does revel in discovery through destruction.
No one here in explicitly sanctioning violence or arson, but cinema is all about kiss kiss, bang bang and Nick/Francois are an embodiment of this idea, as in, what if a teenager truly tried to act as if they do in the movies? The answer is chaos, wonderful movie chaos.
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