Every “Revolution” Needs A Leader|Sep. 11, 2009|United States|87 Min.|R
Genre: Comedy;Romance
Description: Youth in Revolt (2009) is a comedy-drama film that follows the story of Nick Twisp, a shy teenager living in Oakland, California, with his mother, Estelle, and her boyfriend, Jerry. After Jerry sells a faulty car to sailors, the family relocates to a trailer park in Clearlake, where Nick meets Sheeni Saunders, a girl his age who shares his love for French culture and music. Despite Sheeni having a boyfriend, Trent Preston, she and Nick develop a romantic connection.
To impress Sheeni, Nick adopts a dog named Albert, inspired by Albert Camus, but the dog causes chaos by destroying property, leading Sheeni’s parents to ban it from their home. Before returning to Oakland, Sheeni promises to help Nick’s father secure a job in Ukiah, while Nick vows to get his mother to kick him out so he can reunite with Sheeni. Back in Oakland, Nick creates an alter ego named François Dillinger, a rebellious troublemaker, to assert his independence. Shortly after, Jerry dies of a heart attack.
Under François’ influence, Nick clashes with his mother and her new boyfriend, Lance Wescock, a police officer. Nick steals Jerry’s Lincoln car, crashes it into a restaurant, and starts a fire. Lance agrees to report the car as stolen in exchange for Nick moving in with his father. In Ukiah, Nick calls Sheeni and exaggerates his actions, claiming he “blew up half of Berkeley” to return to her. However, her mother overhears the conversation and sends Sheeni to a French boarding school in Santa Cruz, forbidding her from seeing Nick.
Determined to reunite with Sheeni, Nick befriends Vijay Joshi, and together they take Vijay’s grandmother’s car to visit her. They sneak into Sheeni’s room, where Nick meets Bernice in the bathroom and falsely claims that Trent has been spreading terrible rumors about her. When Bernice alerts the matron, the boys flee. On their way back, the car breaks down, and Nick calls Mr. Ferguson, his father’s neighbor, for help, pretending that Vijay is an illegal immigrant he is helping to “free from persecution.”
Cast director: Miguel Arteta
Cast actor: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, M. Emmet Walsh, Steve Buscemi, Adhir Kalyan, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, Zach Galifianakis, Erik Knudsen
Original name: Youth in Revolt