Serious Movie Lover

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (IN THEATERS/2010)

BASS BATTLE!

From: Brian McClelland
To: Kimberly Faulhaber

So…Scott Pilgrim vs. the World! Having never been much of a gamer OR or comic book (ha, I called it a comic book, Kim) fan, I wasn’t expecting this film—touted as pretty much targeted to those precise demographics—to connect much with me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Edgar Wright’s third film—following the excellent horror/comedy hybrid Sean of the Dead and the fun but slightly overcooked Michael Bay buddy cop tribute Hot Fuzz—is a hilarious and rollicking good time on par with his smashing debut. I smiled through through every frame of this thing.

Making Canadians cool: Michael Cera and Co. in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Although the irreverent story—taken from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s manga-inspired series of graphic novels (Scott Pilgrim [Michael Cera] must defeat his new love’s seven deadly exes in order to continue dating her. What?)—is very silly and often quirky for the sake of being quirky, Wright’s sharp cast handles O’Malley’s cleverly absurd dialogue masterfully, grounding what is a fantastical premise with ease.

It’s to Wright’s credit that the cast remains in focus here, while inhabiting a hyperspace, visually explosive manga-infused universe. My fave visual element is when Scott’s band plays and their awesome rock power is seen as a visible, tangible element, flying off and over the band into the audience as if bursting forth from some awesome volcanic force. I found the visuals to be consistently and exhilaratingly kinetic without fatiguing my eyes, or my nerves, for that matter. I was pleased it wasn’t released in 3D—with this much action in the frame, it would likely have only served to distract from the quick and witty dialogue and just-quirky-enough performances from this shit hot ensemble of young actors.

Meat eaters! Kneel before Zod!

The cast really was impressive, even the bit players, like Erik Knudson’s lone scene as a frontman for our hero’s main competition @ their first battle of the bands. You might remember Knudson’s turn as ”Lefty” in the recent Cera vehicle Youth in Revolt? His short few minutes in Pilgrim are a priceless, pitch perfect comedic performance. Keep an eye on that guy.

You mentioned how you thought that Cera’s delivery—as impeccable here as ever, I felt—added a much funnier edge to the material than you had found on the page.  As I haven’t read the any of the books, I’m curious as to how you felt the film compared with its source materials?

Did I like it? Yes I did. Even before the short but very sweet Flash Gordon reference!  Grade: A

Kisses,
Brian

From: Kimberly Faulhaber
To: Brian McClelland

Brian! I hate going second!

Thor has been looking for his lolly everywhere!

After reading so many grouchy reviews, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this. I would like to diagnose the people who called Pilgrim too “twee” or manic as either 1) aged grouchy beyond the ability to enjoy something aimed toward a youth audience, or 2) suffering from Too Cool for School syndrome. I read the first four graphic novels in the series (RESPECT the graphic novel, Brian) and still can’t quite understand what all the fuss was about–the characters were neither clever nor interesting–the dialogue never rose above the level of exchanges you overhear at the bar during a show. However, I think the story translated to the screen perfectly. Characters that seemed interchangeable and blandly sarcastic on the page really came alive when played by (the awesome in everything, “In Treatment,” most notably) Alison Pill and even Brandon Routh (who I recently watched embarrass himself terribly in two films, the open-relationship romantic comedy Fling and the pretty-actors-desperately-trying-to-seem-quirky comedy Table for Three. Avoid) as a ex who gained superpowers by going vegan. (I admit, I am a sucker for a vegans-are-better-than-you joke.) This is a testament to Wright’s skills developing material and working with actors–this guy is on quite the winning streak. (Enjoy this NY Times profile, courtesy of our esteemed colleague Sarah, featuring some very Tarantino Tarantino quotes.)

The only character who wasn’t very magnetic was, ironically, Ramona Flowers, who inspires all of these battles to the death.  Maybe Mary Elisabeth Winstead tried too hard to be cool and erred on the side of cold. Emma Stone would have been a great choice.

Kudos also to Beck and Nigel Godrich for some great noise rock that fit the period perfectly–every Sex Bob-omb (What up, Super Mario 2!) song sounded like something from a mid-90s Kill Rock Stars comp (translation = distorted, messy, awesome). I hope this compels the wee ones start bands that are less Paramore, more Bangs.

The slow box office burn may have something to do with Cera fatigue–he has indeed been in a lot of movies and worn a lot of hoodies in the past three years. But I contend that you jerks need to get over it–Cera’s singular delivery remains the most unique and hilarious of his generation.  You would have preferred Efron? I thought not.

Grade: Solid B

Smell ya later,

Kimberly