Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman
Rated PG-13 for stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references
It seems as though Hollywood has been especially pandering and safe the last few years, cranking out sequels and remakes with disappointing and insulting results more often than not. So it’s refreshing to see director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) creating original work within that framework, breathing life into his adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim comic series. Michael Cera plays the eponymous Scott Pilgrim, a 22-year-old bass player who learns he must defeat the seven evil exes in order to win the heart of his new girlfriend.
For a plot that’s so easy to sum up, the film is wonderfully rich in style and grin-inducing coolness. Progressing like a Japanese fighting video game and reading like a comic book, Scott Pilgrim is the rare action-comedy that actually delivers both action and comedy in spades. I could get overly literary and talk about how it’s an interesting exploration of the past coming back to effect our futures, but all you need to know about this movie is that is one hell of a fun ride. If I wasn’t laughing out loud at the breakneck comedic timing, I was giggling with delight simply absorbing the experience.
It’s not a perfect movie, and it lags for a little while around ex number 3, but that fleeting moment is followed by some of the funniest gags in the movie. Michael Cera plays the same character he always seems to play, but it works here because everyone is an archetype. The tough guy and the cocky musician and the indie rock chick are used as shorthand so that the story can move and so the jokes and punches can fly without any need for over-thinking. The movie throws itself into its premise, neither apologizing for the styling nor selling it out as a joke. Edgar Wright’s sure hand is as impressive as ever and casts a long shadow on anyone trying to create comedy in Hollywood.
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Ryan Ebling has an as-yet meaningless degree in English and Communications. He currently works in a high school special education classroom.
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