The Cleverest Movie of the Year

Last weekend I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, starring Michael Cera and directed by Edgar Wright. The handful of friends of mine who have good taste in movies all highly recommend Wright's other films, including Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. I haven't seen these movies and to be honest, had no idea it was the same guy going into this one (no one who knows me will be surprised by this revelation). If this is a fair representation of his work, consider me an instant fan of the guy.

The movie has video game type graphics and action woven throughout but still manages a compelling storyline. I make this point lest you think that this is the same thing as a movie based on a game. Please. It might be a bit nerdy, but it isn't THAT nerdy. The way that this theme is worked into the movie, that is, without any subtlety but avoiding a certain inherent cheesiness potential is what makes it clever. If there were an Academy Award for Cleverest Movie of the Year, Scott Pilgrim would win it hands down; Inception has nothing on this movie. Plus, the acting isn't half bad.



Michael Cera of Arrested Development and Superbad fame plays Scott Pilgrim. Many people have grown tired of the mumbling quiet nerdy guy roles that have defined his career to this point. To those people, I say do not let that deter you from watching this movie. A hint of that character lingers but it's a much more toned down version of him. To be honest, I think he has handed the reins to that particular character over to Jesse Eisenberg, who you have to admit chews the drawstrings to his hoodies slightly more convincingly than Cera ever did. Cera's love interest, Ramona Flowers, is played by North Carolina native Mary Elizabeth Winstead, or MEW, as I like to call her. She provides a nice balance to Cera's character and has excellent hair to boot. I have no other performances of hers to compare with this one so I'll go ahead and say that this young lady has a bright future. Hopefully one with more fun hairdos.

I can't help but draw comparisons to this year's other under-the-radar comic book movie, Kick-Ass. The main difference between the two is that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is really good while Kick-Ass is not nearly as good as it should have been. Kick-Ass had a ton of buzz surrounding it; more so, I believe, than Scott Pilgrim did. Because of that buzz, I'll concede that it's possible I went into Kick-Ass with impossibly high expectations but I don't believe that to be the case. I think that outside of one really strong performance in Kick-Ass (Chloe Moretz), it just wasn't that well put together. Really, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the movie Kick-Ass should have been - and even then it's still better. If you're like 99% of Americans, you missed it in theaters, which is a real tragedy. Save some face by putting it at the top of your DVD queue and after you see it, quietly admit that I nailed this review.