Screen Scene: “Youth in Revolt”
By Daniel Boden
Jan. 7, 2010 9:36 p.m.
There comes a time in every boy’s life when he must put away childish things and become a man. For Dennis the Menace, it was when he discovered the immaculate joys of pestering Mr. Wilson with his slingshot. For Bill and Ted, it was their excellent adventure through time and space that brought on their manhood. And for Nick Twisp, the hapless and girl-less hero of “Youth in Revolt,” this moment came as a charge issued from Sheeni Saunders’ sweet lips during summer vacation.
“You must be bad, Nickie. Be very, very bad.”
And this is the basic premise of “Youth in Revolt.” How far will Nick Twisp go to be a rebel and win the heart of his first true love? This idea could have fallen very flat. It could have been a formulaic, campy teenage comedy ““ complete with pointlessly gratuitous nudity, weak stock characters and a predictable plot.
This is not to say that “Youth in Revolt” does not have its fair share of road trips, phallic references, sexual angst and a roller coaster of misunderstandings and mishaps that fuel the humor and move the plot forward. It is just that in this film, all these elements typical of your average “American Pie”-style sex romp are inventively presented through a clever script, a spontaneous story, and inventive characters.
The film’s standout character is its protagonist, Nick Twisp, played by Michael Cera. As Nick, he plays the straight-laced shy guy ““ more or less the same part he played in “Arrested Development” and “Superbad.” As the film’s narrator (and consequently, a representation of Nick’s psyche), however, Cera is freer to develop his character. We learn why Nick loves Frank Sinatra, how he always strikes out with girls at his school and how he truly feels about his parents’ failing relationships.
Cera really shines as François, Nick’s French alter ego, whom he creates when he finds out that Sheeni is a Francophile to the extreme. François, although just a projection of Nick’s mind, often shares the same screen with Nick, telling him what move to make with a girl or how to get kicked out of his mother’s house. At other times, François takes action when Nick is too timid to rebel. His eyes are a steely blue, a stark contrast to Nick’s warm but uninteresting brown eyes. François’ thin mustache and always-lit cigarette make him the quintessential Frenchman of the New Wave. And what is most compelling about this role is how it forces Cera to step outside his normal acting styles ““ something he does quite refreshingly.
Although the film’s characters are creatively composed individuals, the film adaptation required excessive cuts of C.D. Payne’s novel of the same name. The movie has to focus its scope solely on Nick, effectively making the supporting cast nothing but a troupe of MacGuffins. Nick’s father, played by Steve Buscemi; Vijay, his sex-crazed friend played by Adhir Kalyan; and a slough of other ancillary characters lack depth in the sense that they are mere vehicles for moving the plot forward.
Even Nick’s love interest, Sheeni Saunders, played by newcomer Portia Doubleday, succumbs to this tendency. In her role, Doubleday is cute and her ability to incite Nick to rebellion is believable. But as is the case with most teenage coming of age stories, the girl is but an object: the goal of the male’s conquest.
“Youth in Revolt,” although a tale about adolescent rule breaking ““ something to which almost all college students can relate ““ is really a character piece. Just like Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” to which Sheeni refers many times, you are more interested in the development of the two leads and their relationship.
Of course, there is the obvious link to another New Wave classic, François Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows,” which features the revolt, capture and escape of a young Parisian miscreant, Antoine Doinel. Certainly, Nick is much funnier than Doinel, however as François, he broods and is motivated by an impetuous wanderlust of the soul similar to Doinel’s.
“Youth in Revolt” is one of the most entertaining films since “The 40 Year Old Virgin.” Beyond creating immediate empathy for Nick Twisp, the film invites you to join him on his journey of hellacious tomfoolery and romantic pursuits. It is uproariously hilarious and by the time the 90-minute feature is done, you basically want to be a teenage troublemaker again.
““ Daniel Boden
E-mail Boden at [email protected].
