![Philosophical Monday: Finally Went and Saw SCOTT PILGRIM [Movie Review]](https://fierceandnerdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/scott_pilgrim_vs_the_world_ver2_xlg.jpg)
Philosophical Monday: Finally Went and Saw SCOTT PILGRIM [Movie Review]
Finally went and saw SCOTT PILGRIM for an impromptu date night, and a few things occurred to me while watching it.
1. I think I might be officially over Michael Cera. His usual schtick undermines his performance here and it’s gotten to the point that I seriously wonder whether he can actually act or if he’s been coasting along on his affected personality all this time. Either way, I think he could benefit from acting classes as it would be nice to see him make an actual choice one of these days.
2. The love interest, Ramona, is shockingly unlikeable, which is sad, b/c she looks like a non-Hollywood-processed woman and her hair is clever. I really, really wanted to like her, and unlike Michael Cera, I don’t think the actor is to blame in this case. She is written rather poorly: she seems to have no agency beyond her apparent and continuous disdain for Scott Pilgrim. I found it hard to root for them. It reminded me that when it comes to romance, conflict is great, but at the end of the day, you’re characters do actually have to like each other. If it’s one-sided, it’s just not going to work.
3. As for the other women, they were all either harpies, who were mostly ignored by the male characters or complete puppets. I can’t eat tons of organic cookies on Weight Watchers, even though they’re made out of much better stuff than the processed stuff. And I’m realizing that indie films aren’t going to do better by their female characters than say, a Judd Apatow movie.
4. Scott Pilgrim is soooo awesome to look at that it made me want to ignore Thoughts #1 and #2 and #3. People make fun of razzle-dazzle, but it can make up for a lot. Also, I enjoyed watching the filmmakers fail BIG. It’s sad when they fail small.
5. In the end, the story had more pizazz than heart, and was so painfully self-conscious, that I found it hard to take seriously. But it did make me want to read the comic book source material for myself, so that’s a win for the author.
Did anyone else see SCOTT PILGRIM? If so, leave thoughts in the comments.
Yeah, I felt roughly the same way: it was almost fun enough to forgive.
I will say Michael Cera played pretty well to the source material here. But the advantage of the the source material is that you can make a character like him likeable (even heroic) over the course of six books while retaining his bizarre and frustrating limitations. In an (even overlong) movie, however, you don’t get the space to show just why everyone puts up with this rather annoying person.
And then there’s the sexism. And the racism. And the lack of editing.
Yet I still found myself grinning like an idiot through most of the film. I’d be interested to see it again to see if any of that razzle-dazzle holds up after another go around.
Thanks for the comment, Thundey. I wonder if the movie depended too much on fans having read the comic. Or m/b it’s the old Hollywood double standard of not considering men who treat women badly unlikeable while women who treat men badly are openly scorned in movies like THE HANGOVER.
Thank you for mentioning the lack of editing, too. It felt like the film needed to be 90 min. Get in get out already.
I thought it was pretty fun and ridiculous and will agree that Michael Cera is a one trick pony. And that pony is done played out, okay?!! While I haven’t read any of the original books, I still really enjoyed something a little more original than Megan Fox’s boobies bouncing in the dessert…
Yes, I do give it points for originality. I wish it would have take that originality one step forward by NOT casting Michael Cera in his umpteenth indie movie.
I concur with this assessment, though Michael Cera doesn’t grate on me too badly just yet. The two leads were just annoying, but reminded me of people I hung out with in my 20s. I liked Knives, she was, though stereotypically hysterical female, fun to watch. As were all the video game and struggling musician references. And the bit about vegans was particularly hilarious, as my diet is now limited to zuchinni, cardboard and water, it touched me.
But yeah, at the end of the movie I didn’t really care who Scott ended up with. Or if he ever found love, or if he ever deserved it. it was really a fun ride to get to indifference though.
What’s funny is that this movie made me realize that I wasn’t nearly as interesting as I thought I was in my early 20s.
I haven’t seen the movie, but I’ve been over Michael Cera for a while. Still, I really want a Arrested Development movie to happen. Michael Cera sign on!
YES, and there’s the fact that he’s holding up the AD movie! Even more reason to dislike!
The Michael Cera School of Acting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa_ECS9Jvgk&feature=player_embedded#at=53
very funny and a little to true