By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

And the award for the most creative comedy film for 2010 goes to: Youth in Revolt.
OK, so it is barely the second week of January, but Youth in Revolt is the best film I have seen so far in 2010.

Perpetual nerdy teen Michael Cera returns in what has to be his best role ever as Nick Twisp, a sex-obsessed adolescent, who thinks everyone in the world is “getting some” except himself.

It's bad enough having the awkward name Nick Twisp, but this poor guy seems like he will never get a break on any level. Cera, who has been in similar territory before in Superbad and Juno, gets to really stretch the part this time out by playing a dual role.

Think Woody Allen as a teen-aged neurotic combined with the angst of Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield, and you pretty much have Nick Twisp.

Nick has a mom (Jean Smart) who dates a series of creepy guys (including Ray Liotta as a cop) and a dad (Steve Bescemi) who dates a woman who is only about eight years older than Nick.

He finally meets the girl of his dreams on a family vacation trip to trailer camp hell. But Sheeni (Portia Doubleday) seems unobtainable so he creates an alter ego of someone both of them admire — the Jean-Paul Belmondo-inspired role from the French film classic Breathless.

As Francois Dillinger, he does all the things Nick would never do (grand theft auto, million dollar arson etc.) all in pursuit of the girl of his dreams. The end result: Sheeni is expelled from school and Nick is on the run because of Francois' auto theft, etc.

Youth in Revolt is based on a series of books by C.D. Payne, but this screenplay is by Gustin Nash (Charlie Barlett). The Miguel Arteta-directed film nicely intersperses a “book-feel”  to it, with a cartoon-character version of Nick. The animation is also used with good effect when Nick (after a trip on some mushrooms) sees some of the fantasies of a sexually-illustrated educational book, come to life.

Other film highlights include a Thanksgiving Day dinner with Sheeni's very religious parents (Mary Kay Place,  M. Emmet Walsh), who have by this time forbidden Sheeni to see Nick. But the couple is pretty much oblivious to the feasting holiday because Sheeni's older brother (played by Justin Long) has served mom and dad a first course of those same kind of mushrooms.

While Youth in Revolt  is supposed to be set in present time, there is a definite retro/nostalgic feel to the film, which also makes the whole thing work that much better.
At first glance, Youth in Revolt looks like it would be just another teen comedy, but the subject matter is more mature here, and the comedy goes beyond the usual adolescent jokes, so much so that the film gets an R rating, which also makes it off limits for the teen target audience.

Critic's rating: B

Youth in Revolt is rated R

oooo
The award-winning documentary Mine is available for download at iTunes. The documentary about pets surviving in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, is available to view and purchase at the iTunes Store.
Film Movement officials are hopeful the company will receive a wider audience for the  “art house” film using iTunes.  For more information,  visit http://www.mine-the-movie.blogspot.com.