Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), a typical Canadian twenty-something, battles against the League of Evil Exes in order to win the heart of Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Meanwhile, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), Scott's ex-girlfriend, plots to win back her first love through any means possible.
Despite my irrational hatred of Michael Cera, I loved this film. Granted, I am the material's target demographic. The script is witty, the visuals are fun, and everyone involved puts everything they have into their performances. What could have turned into a campy disaster is saved through the efforts of an amazing supporting cast and incredibly delightful source material.
Director Edgar Wright manages to mesh both comic book sound effects and video game visuals into the film without making it seem cartoonish. The fight scenes that would be incredibly out of place in almost any other movie are fit in so perfectly here that it justifies all use of its impressive choreography.
I find it really refreshing how positive the film's view of homosexuality is, with the sexuality of Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin) being a complete non-issue. Scott and Wallace share a bed with one another and the script manages to keep it from seeming awkward or growing subtextually gay. Even the bisexuality of Wallace's new boyfriend is a non-issue, but...which is either progressive for bisexuality in the media, or just another hit claiming that all bisexuals are really just homosexuals in denial.
Speaking of negative views on sexuality, Scott Pilgrim is a film that appears to have it out for the lesbian community. While the main character confusing the 'L-word' (love) for lesbians, and later flubbing his profession of love and telling Ramona that he's "in lesbians with [her]," the real hit comes when Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman) is revealed as one of Ramona's evil exes. Ramona quickly dismisses the relationship as a 'phase,' and it seems as though Roxy was included for the sole purpose of quipping about being 'bi-furious.'
As I've said, Scott Pilgrim is a film aimed quite specifically at the young-adult male, so much so that I wonder if it might be a little to 'out there' for people of an older generation. The story is so entrenched in the lifestyle of the modern gamer, so focused on an industry that only invented itself during my childhood upbringing, that I'm not sure my parents would fully appreciate the things that I loved about it, and I suspect that their parents would turn it off in confusion and disinterest.
The actors each inhabit their characters so fully that, even though they're quite often outrageous, they're still believable as people. The only exception is Satya Bhabha's Matthew Patel, who comes across as stereotypically Bollywood, which is the point, but it seems as though there should have been a little something more to the character.
Also in need of praise is the music. Every note is so deliberately chosen that it creates a fantastic experience in it's own right. And you can never go wrong with Metric...well, to be fair, Metric's song is performed by Envy Adams (Brie Larson) on film, and compares quite admirably to the original, but both are excellent tracks.
This is definitely a romantic movie written for young men. I'm sure that the girlfriends will enjoy it, too, but there's a good chance that some of the references will go over her head. If you're a man lucky enough to see this film with a woman that can identify the source of each reference, then you've found the ideal woman for this movie's target audience. Congratulations. 1up
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