Youth In Revolt
Started & Finished: 10/13/09
Bringing a book to the screen is always a daunting task— do you play to the studios and streamline the concepts, or do you kowtow to the fanboys and keep every last detail? Adaptations seem to fail because they try to appease both sides, and do well at neither. But Youth In Revolt manages to find that sweet middle ground that conveys the story at the heart of the novel, while taking liberties to ensure the tightest, funniest movie possible.
The film soars as an adaptation, but also as a film unto itself. I was initially skeptical of some casting choices (I feel like I’ve been on Michael Cera overload this year), and wary of the process by which screenwriter Gustin Nash condensed a 500 page book into 89 minutes. Having finished the book several weeks ago, I recognized 95% of the plot, and 99% of the jokes. Yet it was told in a fresh and distinct way, focusing on the key plot elements that pushed the film along at quite a clip.
I’m happy to report that Michael Cera does an excellent job of playing roles outside of the traditional shy-guy archetype. While it’s still a variation of the awkward teen, Cera’s Nick Twisp is more like Arrested Development’s George Michael a few years down the road, with enough sexual frustration to mow down anyone and anything in the way. François is an entirely different beast that Cera pulls off with excellent poise and timing.
While it’s disappointing to see some of my favorite book moments and characters removed from the film (Fuzzy Defalco, jocks hitting on Carlotta, and any mention of T.E.’s), it’s clear that an overabundance of information would have ruined the story. Instead, Nash and director Miguel Arteta make the best choices possible, excising the most extraneous and amping up the plot points that tell Nick’s dire quest to lose his virginity. The novel contains so many more subplots and loads of cringe-inducing awkwardness, but the genius of this adaptation is that it gives the best of the bare bones—barely any narrative manipulation was necessary. So if you see the film, but still want to read the book, don’t worry: it will still be like meeting Nick Twisp for the first time. That is, assuming you really want to revisit that first scene.
