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I’ll admit, I had no desire to see this movie. It looks gimmicky, stars Michael Cera, and for MONTHS leading up to its release, the boyfriend would not shut up about “how AWESOME Scott Pilgirm!!!!” is; however I’m a sucker for free stuff, so when the boyfriend suggested we hit up the Movie Tavern (the home town alternative to Studio Movie Grill), who was I to say no to dinner AND a movie? It certainly couldn’t be any worse than Eat Pray Love.
Scott Pilgrim vs the World is not for everyone. While I enjoyed the multiple pop culture and gaming references, after a certain point I felt the movie was trying WAY too hard to continually connect with its audience. You’re either in from the beginning, or you’re never going to hop on board with this flick. If you weren’t a kid in the late 80’s or early 90’s, you probably won’t appreciate this film. If you weren’t in high school in the late 90’s/early 00’s, you probably won’t appreciate this film.
After about 5 minutes, I was hooked. The opening scenes of Scott and his snatched-from-the-cradle girlfriend Knives thrifting, digging through CDs at a music store and wreaking high score havoc at the arcade transported me back to 2002, when 18 year old Corey would, well, you can draw that conclusion. Today we call them hipster douche bags, but for me, that was my way of life.
Like I said, if I didn’t have some sort of connection with this film, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much. It’s fast paced, almost to the point of having ADHD, over the top and moves from one thing to the next in a disconnected manner, but that’s sort of what being in your late teens/early twenties is about, right?
Visually speaking, the film looks as if Edgar Wright took a magic wand to the graphic novel and brought it to life. I thought the constant animated “THUMP”s and “WHACK”s when Pilgrim was getting his ass kicked would get real old, real fast, but they’re really not that distracting. Instead, they compliment the setting quite well, and help keep the film from losing its fun atmosphere when things start to take a serious tone. That being said, I’ve never seen a graphic novel’s style captured so well in film before (with the exception of possibly Sin City).
The story follows a 20-something misfit by the name of Scott Pilgrim, who’s doing everything he can to remain a loser for the rest of his life (hello my generation!). Sure, he has aspirations, but sometimes, sitting around playing video games, doing the band thing or chasing girls just seems a little more important – that is, until he’s bewitched by the mysteriously alluring Ramona Flowers. The rest of the film follows Scott on his journey from zero to hero to win the right to date Ramona, break a few hearts along the way and come to terms with his shaggy hair cut.
Michael Cera was absolutely great in this film. Sure, he tends to play Michael Cera in just about everything he’s cast in these days, but I tend to place that blame on the director more than the actor. You can always expect Cera to play the socially awkward type, but in Scott Pilgrim vs the World, he takes that awkwardness to a whole new level. Cera’s Pilgrim is a whiny troll fodder bitch at times, but his perseverance and relate-ability make it hard to not smile or laugh, even if he is acting as ridiculous as a 14-year-old Justin Bieber obsessed fangirl.
While the rest of the cast complimented one another quite well (especially Anna Kendrick as Scott’s sister, Stacey and Alison Pill as Kim), Kieran Culkin as Scott’s gay roommate Wallace, stole the show. I’m not sure what it is about that family, but if there’s a film with a Culkin in it, they’re probably going to be the brightest spot of a movie for me. Culkin’s Wallace was the complete ass that you can’t help but love. Sure, he’ll steal your boyfriend and evict you when you’re at your lowest, but he’ll have your back and support you when you need it most. I think we all need a tough love type of friend like that.
The best part about Scott Pilgrim vs the World is just letting yourself get taken along for the ride – sit back for two hours and try to recognize as many nerd related references littered around the film as you can…sort of like looking for all those hidden Mickeys at Disney World. From having Metric provide the voice of The Clash at Demonhead to the upside down triforce chip on the back of Ramona’s neck, Scott Pilgrim vs the World is a fun, quirky, niche film that will speak to those of us who grew up in the midst of the digital revolution. For everyone else? It’ll be more like watching two 16-year-old girls babble at extraordinarily high pitches to each other – in other words, you won’t get it, nor should you, as the best way to enjoy this film, is to have lived it.
