Though I haven’t read C D Payne’s novel Youth in Revolt, it already appears to be a cult favourite and so, unsurprisingly, here’s the filmic version. Something must have happened between page and screen though, as this indie exercise in teenage angst is pretty charmless and struggles for consistent laughs. Michael Cera stars as the bizarrely named Nick Twisp, who after failing to totally win the heart of his dream girl invents a doppelganger, Francois Dillinger (also played by Cera), whose bad boy attitude he hopes will get him closer to women of said dreams. The film turns the quirk factor up to 11 at points with scenes ranging in quality from amusingly original to old hat and unfunny (Parents high on mushrooms! Oh my aching ribs…). There is also decent support from the usual left field indie casting. However, a film like this has to have a strong central performance and Cera fails drastically. His high pitch whining and general woodenness just grates. Typecast or not, he fails to stretch those acting wings with his secondary role as Dillinger. If you’re looking for a film with a decent doppelganger try and dig up The Man Who Haunted Himself from somewhere instead.
The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A few laughs to be had, but Cera is awful and it’s far too “indie” for its own good. Rating: 4/10.
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