Viewed in
2010
Formats
DVD
Premise
Michael Cera plays a wimpy kid who creates a rebel persona to win the girl of his dreams.
Liked
Humorous comedy, recognizable cast.
Thoughts
In sports, role players are complimented for "playing within themselves". I would apply that same compliment to this film.
I was very surprised by the caliber of actors surrounding Cera, from Ray Liotta to Steve Buscemi to Fred Willard. Each had their comedic solos to showcase in the story. Even the unknowns had some funny moments.
Like most R-rated sex comedies, it had your share of sex, drugs and cuss words. Kudos to the screenwriter for having some creativity with the gags without being overly crude. I chuckled a lot and even laughed out loud occasionally. The car in the house joke was fantastic, and I loved the part about a character trying to fix his crooked penis... not that I can relate to that or anything...
My impression from the trailers was that it was going to be a teenager version of Tyler Durden. Thankfully, that gimmick was used sparingly and put to good effect.
The flaws was a predictable plot and lack of believability, such as the love interest chained to her douche boyfriend. Also, Cera's performance failed to make me truly accept his badass alter ego and take the story/characters seriously.
Like a good role player, this film stuck to its strengths and minimized exposing its weaknesses. The end result was a tight, likable, humorous comedy clocking under 90 minutes. Which was better than I expected.
What I would change
Instructed Cera to change his voice when portraying the rebel persona. It might have made his character's dark side believable.
