Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: Review

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead

After decades of seeing Toronto play anything but itself it’s nice to see two movies in one year where the ol’ girl actually gets to show the CN Tower and not have to hide the km/hour signs. And with the lead actor and two supporting characters also being Canadian … well, I’m just shocked.

While Chloe perhaps shoots this city better than it’s ever been seen, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World goes even a little farther by actually mentioning the city as well. However, once we adjust to the fact that the setting is truly in Toronto (for Canadians it’s an unusual adjustment) then we can just sit back and let the movie take us for a ride.

Our director, Edgar Wright is no stranger to making inventive, high paced action/comedies being the director of both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. I think he’s topped himself with Scott Pilgrim.

The movie is fresh, modern and quick and unlike pretty much anything you’ve seen before. What’s great about the film is that although it’s definitely for a young audience its essential story line—boy fights for girl—is universal. Now, a boy fighting for a girl is something we’ve seen a thousand times before, but not like this.

The basic plot is thus: Scott (Cera) is a 23 year old slacker, “I’m in a band” dude who is trying to get over heartbreak by dating a high school girl, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Mercilessly teased by friends and band-mates over dating a 17 year old, Pilgrim continues his near platonic relationship until he meets Ramona Flowers (Winstead) and is instantly smitten. But dating Ramona isn’t so simple, Scott must fight (and I mean freakin’ fight) all of Ramona’s exes before he can capture the girl of his dreams (literally).

The fights are exceptionally well done and carried out in a comic-book/video game/over-the-top fashion. Naturally, they are also hilarious. Part of the humour comes from the fact that the fights are happening at all, part of it comes from a wee, skinny slacker being able to form a fist, let alone kick ass; but most of the humour comes from the ADD mode of everything-all-the-time.

While the style and look of the film is impressive, the movie wouldn’t be as good as it is without such an effective turn from a great ensemble cast. The leads Cera and Winstead are strong and well cast but the supporting actors truly shape the film. They roll with the various tones and situations, being droll, crazy, demented or heart-felt when the need arises, but they are always honest and that is essential for a movie like this. The audience would have drifted away after twenty minutes in this sensory over-load extravaganza, if the cast didn’t keep the emotions real, wry and true. My favourite of the supporting cast is Ellen Wong as Knives. Wong is cute, heart-breaking, funny and is literally a green belt in taekwondo, which, trust me, is important in this film.

However, it wouldn’t be right to review this movie without specifically looking at the performance of Michael Cera. I’ve heard complaints of Cera playing “the same character” in every movie. I actually don’t think this is true. Cera is considerably different in this movie than in others. His last movie, Youth in Revolt, is even more of a departure. In this film, Cera has perfect timing, is both awkward and strong and does a pretty damn good job with the fight scenes, which I don’t think many people would have predicted (me included). Also, if we’re going to criticize Cera for being “the same” then we better be prepared to say that for nearly every other actor out there. Only a few actors can completely disappear into their roles (Streep, Penn, Depp, Pearce) while most play different characters that may have a similar energy. This lack of variety does not mean they are not good actors. I think George Clooney is a great actor but he doesn’t shave his head and speak with a Kiwi accent just to have a different “feel.” Jimmy Stewart and Humphrey Bogart are two of my all time favourites, but one could accuse them of being “the same” in many roles. It’s not all about versatility; it’s more about honesty and whether the audience tunes into the character’s emotions. I think Cera has that, and it comes through in this film.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World keeps you entertained without getting stale or losing its heart; thanks to strong direction and a tight ensemble cast. Besides, how can you not like a film where the hero wears a CBC t-shirt.

Very good flick.


Point of Interest: The only confusing thing about this film is that it didn’t make very much money at the box office. It received (generally) great reviews with an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it’s certainly geared to the traditional movie-going audience of teenagers, so why the weak box-office? I’ve heard some speculate that the Toronto setting might have affected sales. It’s one of the reasons nearly every movie gets “set” in America even if it’s not shot there, or based on a book that has a different setting all together (High Fidelity being moved to Chicago from London being a great example). Many studio execs feel that if a movie isn’t in America and about Americans then the U.S. audience won’t care. I don’t know if that’s true, but studios certainly act as if it is, Americanizing nearly every thing they touch (I’m just glad they left Wolverine Canadian!).