- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World poster - copyright 2010 NBC-Universal
Combine Bryan Lee O'Malley's acclaimed graphic novel Scott Pilgrim with acclaimed comedy director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and you have one of the funniest and most outrageous films of 2010. However, a wooden performance from star Michael Cera keeps this flick from classic status.
Michael Cera, Marie Elizabeth Winstead Star in NBC-Universal's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Scott Pilgrim (Cera) is a guy with a lousy past and an uncertain future. A mopey lothario who plays bass in the indie band Sex Bob-Omb, his current flame is a 17-year-old obsessive named Knives Chao (Emma Wong). But Pilgrim realizes he's found true love when he meets messenger girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who's literally been rollerblading through his dreams.
But Ramona has problems too: her 7 Evil Exes, which include Chris Evans as an arrogant action star, Brandon Routh as a super-powered vegan and Mae Whitman as a "bi-furious" punk. Their mission is to seek and destroy any potential love interest for Ramona. Scott must vanquish them all in single combat if he has any hope of winning his dream girl's heart.
Much like Chris Nolan with Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World shows what happens when you hand a big budget to a talented director with a limitless imagination. Wright stays fairly close to O'Malley's original story, but adds his own stylistic touches to add interest to what is essentially a series of escalating duels. Lots of lines are laugh-out-loud funny, and it's great to see Toronto actually play Toronto in a movie – the scene where Scott gets thrown through a New York backdrop is priceless.
Hidden amidst the videogame homages and sizzling dialogue is a smart film about growing up, taking responsibility and fighting for what you believe in. It's that rare summer film that has brains and heart in addition to eye-popping visuals.
But this hidden theme would be more apparent if Scott Pilgrim had a better leading man. Like Jennifer Aniston, Michael Cera has carved out a career adopting the same persona for every role. Unfortunately, whatever charms Cera possesses can't compensate for his inability to generate more than 3 facial expressions throughout this film. Sure, ironic detachment has its place, but someone forget to send Cera the memo that this film is about losing said detachment when it comes to things that matter.
It doesn't help that costars Kieran Culkin, Whitman, Evans, Anna Hendrick, Jason Schwartzman and Wong bring their 'A' game, making Cera look even worse.
Also, the script gives Scott and Ramona very little reason why they would be attracted to one another. That plot hole isn't usually a problem if the actors can generate their own heat between each other, but Cera is too hangdog and Winstead too cool to sell their romance to the audience.
Michael Cera Brings Down an Otherwise Classic Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
If Wright had given this film's leading role to a stronger actor, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World would have been a modern classic. As it stands, it's still one of the most colourful, hilarious and outrageous movies released this year and it gets a 4/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
