BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
Other choices were not really that awesome. There was “Year One”, but that movie kinda sucked ass. The other one is “Paper Heart”. The docu-drama-movie-thingy was well done and cute, but Cera is pretty much a secondary player as the love interest. Outside of pre-“Arrested” kid roles, that’s about it. There was something about this movie that just didn’t work for me. It’s got charm, a thick plot for a movie like this, and I like Kat Dennings and Michel Cera. I think when I first saw it, I blamed the editing. Who knows. In this one, Cera isn’t so much of a dweeb or a pussy. He’s heartbroken and all that, but has a stronger demeanor than his other roles. It’s looser and he seems maybe more “himself” in this role. Someone get Michael Cera on the phone and ask him which character he’s played he can relate to the most. I think I’m going to have to have to cave in and watch this movie again. It’s far from horrible, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’m not completely sold on it, but I’m willing to bet that “Scott Pilgrim” will knock this off this list.
(THREE) JUNO
I’ve been on a mental rollercoaster with this movie for awhile now. I like it, then I hate it, then I like it, and then I hate it. Diablo Cody’s script is sooooo “hip”. It’s a mouth full long winded and over thought zany pop culture references at every turn. It’s like an episode of “The Gilmore Girls” with a thesaurus and direct feed into the minds of VH1. The snarky, unrealistic dialogue and the overall tone of the movie really irks me at times. I know there ARE cool hipster girls who rant like this, but every single character in this movie spoke in the same prose and style. That is, except Michael Cera. To me, he’s always the most consistent part of the movie. In 2007, he played a sex crazed teen who wants to get laid in “Superbad” and then in this movie he gets more than he asked for. He plays it with the right amount of varied emotions and just makes this sometimes unbearable movie something worth watching for the 20th time.
(TWO) YOUTH IN REVOLT
I almost want to say “Youth In Revolt” is Michael Cera’s best movie. Then again, I’m bias because I’m a big fan of dark comedy. That’s what this movie is, a dark teen comedy. It’s not as dark as the 80’s classic “Heathers”, but it’s got more edge and darkness to it that pretty much any dark comedy to come out in recent times. Michael Cera shows more character range in this movie than any other role, gets to screw around with two characters. One character is the same unsure character he seems to play often and the other is an ego driven risk taker who just owns the scenes he’s in. I’d love to see Michael Cera do more of that. Maybe even do something like a John Waters movie. I know he’s got it in him!
(ONE) SUPERBAD
Was there any other option? Without “Superbad”, it’s doubtful that Michael Cera would have blown up like he did. That movie was the perfect example of the right place at the right time. It opened up the doors to pretty much everyone in it. The script, supporting cast, and all that were Grade A, but Cera and Hill made it work. Cera is just a likeable and relatable person. As “Evan” he brings the perfect weary doe-eyed sex crazed teenager to Jonah Hill’s loud mouth sex crazed teenager named “Seth”. They’re a perfect comedy team and their chemistry is a main reason this movie succeeded so much.
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