Review – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
August 13, 2010 by Maura Reilly
Filed under Reviews
I’m guessing that after all the hype and advertising around this film that there are a lot of people eager to see this. Based on a popular comic series about a twenty-something slacker’s quest to obtain the girl of his dream, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World opens on Friday August 13th. Let’s hope the inauspicious date and talk of the film’s format having a limited appeal doesn’t prove to be the two evil exes that finally defeat Scott.
Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is living the dream. He’s the bass player in a Toronto band (Sex Bob-omb), lives with Wallace (Kieran Culkin), his cool, gay roommate and is dating a very sweet, albeit young girl named Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). She’s Chinese. Scott has dream one night and in that dream there was this girl (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) he’s never seen before, a girl with unusual hair. The very next day, while at the library with Knives he sees that same girl. Scott begins a quest to find the girl again and learn everything his can about her. Information and contact achieved, Scott discovers that in order to date the lovely if cold and aloof Ramona Flowers (that’s her name), he has to fight and defeat her seven evil exes. Little did he know that this quest would lead to epic battles, romance and a possible record contract.
Let’s start with the cast. From the top down, they were a great group to watch. Michael Cera does what he does best and plays the awkward yet disarming nice guy with the dry wit once again. A nice change of pace is watching Cera get his Street Fighter on when he has to fight an evil ex. Who knew he’d be cool like that? Mary Elizabeth Winstead is alluring with an edge as Ramona. There wasn’t much to redeem the Ramona and at times it was difficult to figure out just why Scott was so in love with her that he’d risk life and limb. That’s not so much in the acting as in the writing. Wallace is probably my favorite. He’s sardonic and wise, a sort of sarcastic Jiminy Cricket to Pilgrim’s wooden boy. Kieran pulls it off with confidence.
Scott’s inner circle of friends and family is a who’s who of up and coming actors: Twilight and Up in the Air actress Anna Kendrick is Scott’s younger sister, Allison Pill (currently in Pillars of the Earth on cable) is Scott’s spurned ex and Sex Bob-omb drummer Kim Pine and Parks and Recreation’s Aubrey Plaza is an angry, foul-mouthed barista Julie Powers. But the ones who clearly had all the fun were the League of Evil Exes, lead by Jason Schwartzman, as the diabolical mastermind impresario Gideon Graves. Chris Evans does a great send-off of himself as Lucas Lee, action star with a million-dollar eyebrow. Brandon Routh, complete with horrific peroxide roots, is the self-important vegan with mystical powers Todd Ingram. Mae Whitman, who previously played Cera’s girlfriend on Arrested Development is Roxy Richter (Ramona’s bi-curious phase) and new comer Satya Bhabha is hysterical as Matthew Patel. Matthew has a whole Bollywood-type number when he faces Scott that’s fantastic.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is visually striking. Comic book graphics and video game elements run throughout the film. It reminded me quite a bit of Speed Racer in that respect. Hats off to the stunt coordinator and crew because the fight scenes are exciting and well choreographed. If you can turn Michael Cera into an action hero, that deserves an Oscar. Indie rock music runs rampant through the movie as well, supplied by current artists like Broken Social Scene and Beck.
There’s been talk that Scott Pilgrim is too young to appeal to an audience over 30. I’m over 30 and I’ll admit I found parts to be a little pretentious and/or precocious. But that did nothing to interfere with my overall enjoyment of the film. You have to consider the source material: it’s a comic book….about 20 something emo-kids. I don’t know what people are expecting. And the director has brought us gems like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Clearly Edgar Wright knows how to tap into pop culture and present a fun and trend-setting production. So leave the old fart bitterness at home, sit back and enjoy being immersed in the world of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
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