You and I Against the World.

I haven't really pinged on Michael Cera before. No doubt it's partly because he doesn't tend to do the films I specialize in, and also cause he's the type of person that blends in. He's a slight person with a voice that has the softness of a whisper to it. He's definitely well suited to play characters like the one he plays in "Youth in Revolt." He is the emblem of those people too smart for school but have to stay there and get to be the punching bag of everyone else.

The real problem though is more of a personal nature. His character is still a virgin and he wants to do something about that. He finally finds the girl that he wants to help him with his problem but she is attracted to another and in a different town.

His solution? Well it's a bit radical. He creates in his own head a radical, dickish alter ego ala 'Fight Club.' Why? Because as many people have noted, a lot of women seem to be attracted to rather dickish men. Let's not even start to discuss why. So now with his bad boy alter ego, his next step will be to be bad enough so his mom will kick him out of her house and he'll have to live with his Dad in the town with his girl target. The problem is there's a fine line between bad and a five million dollar fire.

Honestly, I didn't need the alter ego bit. Everything that happens in the film could have happened for the most part without him. The two characters do have some rather funny lines as they "talk" with each other, but really it seemed a little too cute. The film is saved by Michael Cera who grounds things with his low key acting. It doesn't hurt that Ray Liotta and Fred Willard pop in here and there for a dose of the crazies.

I certainly liked the film, and while not five stars, it gives me even more hope for the "Scott Pilgrim" film. Hooray!