Review: Youth In Revolt

If any A-List actor is typecasted, it’s Michael Cera. In every film he’s been in, from Superbad to Year One to Paper Heart, he pretty much plays the dorky, anxious teenager. Well, Youth In Revolt is no different. Well, except that he also plays the exact opposite character. Youth In Revolt is about the typical Cera character, thrown into a world with a slutty mom with bad taste in men and a complete lack of female interaction. On a vacation he meets his dream girl and after actually succeeding in courting her, must go back home to his lowly life. That is where the Anti-Cera character comes in and the alter-ego drives him to do whatever it takes, even burning down half a street, to get back to his girl.

Youth In Revolt is like Juno (I wrote this and totally forgot about Cera in this lol) meets Superbad meets…well I don’t know. The dialogue is wrought with sarcasm and I don’t know if I’ve seen a film with this kind of insincere sincerity. I think its the thing that is the turning point of whether this film speaks to you or not. Personally, it didn’t work for me and it just distracted me from the film itself.

That said, the film is very funny and Cera is hilarious as both characters. A short Zach Galifianakis cameo at the beginning is well-greeted, if only too short. The rest of the cast is hit or miss, though Jean Smart continues to show she is a reliable comic actress here as Cera’s mom.

Youth In Revolt is a film that should be applauded for going against the normal teen-comedy standards and trying to do something different. It doesn’t always succeed, but in the end its a fun ride.

Grade: B or ★★★ ½ (Out of 5)