Youth In Revolt [Resume, Trailer and Download]

“Theory Of Revolution”

After his teenage hormones made him a teen dad in “Juno”, Michael Cera, still a teen, takes another shot at a quest to lose his virginity in the sweet coming-of-age film “Youth In Revolt”. But as sweet as it seems, director Miguel Arteta wisely doesn’t sugarcoat the production. These teens are smart and edgy, recalling the early films of John Hughes. Which kind of makes Cera this generation’s Anthony Michael Hall.

Cera plays lovable nerd Nick Twisp. After a chance meeting in a trailer park, he instantly falls in love with Sheeni as if it’s the first female he’s ever seen in his life. But Sheeni always had higher hopes for her Mr. Right. He would be an athlete, write poetry, speak French, and be a little rebllious.

Taking a cue from this, Twisp creates an alter ego named Francois. Both characters are played by Cera with the old split-screen gimmick. Francois inspires Nick to become a rebel in order to get the girl and, finally, lose his virginity.

Just when you thought Michael Cera could only play teen geeks, his sleek Francois character, complete with mustache, reminds of Jude Law in “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, hinting that Cera could grow into a career beyond his teen years.

There are enough genuinely funny moments to recommend “Youth In Revolt”. Normally, I am bored by comedy bits involving hallucinatory mushrooms. But with Fred Willard and M. Emmet Walsh joining the party, this comedy just kept getting more enjoyable as it went along.

DVD Double Feature: In 2002, it was this director, Miguel Arteta, who gave the “Friends” TV star Jennifer Aniston her first chance at a starring role on the big screen. That film is “The Good Girl” and it remains one of my favorite Jennifer Aniston films. The small-town drama also stars Jake Gyllenhaal, John C. Reilly and Zooey Deschanel. None of the actors, except Aniston, were very well known at the time this film was released. Now might be an interesting time to re-visit the film and spot all the familiar faces.