Nick Twisp is an awkward, lonely teenager. He has one friend (who is obsessed with a girl from a distance — kind of stalker-esque) and a highly dysfunctional mom that jumps in bed with whoever ends up at their house, a father who has re-married to a 25-year old woman and potential stepfather that is a complete loser. Things get worse for Twisp when he and his family have to pack up and leave after a bad car deal goes wrong and soon Nick finds himself in the forest living in a trailer. Things get better when he meets up with a girl named Sheeni who finds some interest in Nick. Wanting a bad boy, Sheeni challenges Nick to do bad things. Nick can’t do it due to his morals, but thankfully conjures up a second personality named Francois Dillinger that obliges the young girl’s needs. Francois and Nick soon find trouble with the girl and the town they live in when they burn down a building in Berkley; and that’s just the beginning. Welcome to the warped world of Nick Twisp.
Youth in Revolt is a tough movie to gauge. From the promos you can tell it’s a comedy. What you don’t see in the trailers is how incredibly dark and demented it is. You will have moments of uncomfortableness viewing this film. You’ll also have moments where you just want to scream at Twisp about the decision he and Dillinger are making. For example, you’re laughing your head off when Twisp rebels for the first time against his mom and newly anointed boyfriend Lance Wescott (Ray Liotta). Twisp dumps his cereal after a snooty conversation with the pair and steals her car. Later, Twisp blows up a building with the car in Berkley and has to come home to confront his mom and Wescott. You’ll laugh at the first rebelling scene, you’ll scream ‘holy (expletive)!’ at the fire scene and you’ll cringe when he has to face the music. The entire movie is like this.
The movie brings an entire gambit of fun and terror (not in the horror sense) that will leave you wanting more from the story. Literally by the end, after all the crazy/bad things that Cera’s character did, you’re almost satisfied with how the story concludes.
Cera’s performance as Nick Twisp and Francois Dillinger is eerily impressive. He really separates the two roles from each other and plays them out without regret. His typical awkward emotional lifestyle as Nick Twisp is a perfect contrast to his ‘don’t give a sh!t’ style with Dillinger. I was really impressed with Cera’s range for this movie.
As for his love interest Sheeni, played by Portia Doubleday, she’s just as bad and seductive as Dillinger. She embodies what most girls are like in those years and embraces the role of antagonist throughout. When Sheeni has her softer side you really see a very good actress in Doubleday. Her bad side is only rivaled by Cera’s Dillinger; she’s cunning, manipulative and vicious.
Both characters belong to each other quite well.
As for the Blu-ray portion of this film, it’s pretty good. It’s certainly not the best Blu-ray I’ve seen, as the colors are really too drowned out to appreciate the quality. Still, there are moments where it really shines, such as the scene in the trailer where Cera’s character drives his father’s car off the cliff in front of a high school. A really bright and sunny day mixed with plenty of color from the cops, the small lake and the dusty cliff made for a great HD feel.
Better than the visuals is the audio. A good soundtrack is sported with a rocking DTS-HD remastering. You’ll like the soundtrack more than the video (which isn’t bad).
Finally, here are the features you’re looking at:
· Director and Michael Cera Commentary
· Deleted Scenes
· Deleted and Extended Animated Sequences
· Audition Footage
The commentary from director and actor are nothing short of brilliant. The deleted scenes are nice, as are the extended ones, but a good featurette is really needed here. If they had that then this would be a great set of features. As it is the features are merely ‘good’.
