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Youth in Revolt
As a fan of Albert Camus and Jean-Luc Godard, teenage Nick Twisp is definitely out of his element when his mother and her boyfriend move the family to a trailer park. When a pretty neighbor named Sheeni plays records by French crooners, it's love at first sight for frustrated and inexperienced Nick. Learning that she is dating someone, Nick launches a hilarious quest to find his way into Sheeni's heart -- and bed.
2009 · Directed by Miguel Arteta · 89 min · Comedy · Romance · Drama · Screenplay in the scene database · 14 frames
Tagline
Every "Revolution" Needs A Leader.
Plot
Shy teenager Nick Twisp lives with his mother, Estelle, and her boyfriend, Jerry, in Oakland, California. After selling a faulty car to a group of sailors, Jerry takes Estelle and Nick to a trailer park in Clearlake where Nick meets Sheeni Saunders, a young woman his age, interested in French culture and sharing Nick's musical taste. Despite her boyfriend, Trent Preston, they become romantically involved. Nick gets a dog for her named Albert (after Albert Camus), but Albert rips up the family's property and Sheeni's parents ban it from the house.
Before Nick returns to Oakland, Sheeni promises to arrange a job in Ukiah for Nick's father, George, while Nick agrees to get his mother to kick him out so he can return to Sheeni. In Oakland, Nick creates an alter-ego named François Dillinger, a suave, rebellious troublemaker. Immediately after, Jerry dies of a heart attack.
Under François' influence, Nick mouths off to his mom and her new boyfriend, police officer Lance Wescott. Nick takes Jerry's Lincoln, and crashes into a restaurant, starting a fire. Lance agrees to lie and report the car stolen in return for Nick moving out and living with his father. In Ukiah, Nick phones Sheeni and tells her he blew up "half of Berkeley" to return. Her mother overhears this and ships her to a French boarding school in Santa Cruz, forbidding Nick ever to see her again.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Gustin Nash
- Cinematography: Chuy Chávez
- Edited by: Pamela Martin
- Music: John Swihart
- Produced by: David Permut
Cast
- Michael Cera as Nick Twisp / François Dillinger
- Portia Doubleday as Sheeni Saunders
- Jean Smart as Estelle Twisp
- M. Emmet Walsh as Mr. Saunders
- Steve Buscemi as George Twisp
- Adhir Kalyan as Vijay Joshi
- Fred Willard as Mr. Ferguson
- Ray Liotta as Lance Wescott
- Zach Galifianakis as Jerry
- Erik Knudsen as Lefty
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: French, English
- Studios: Dimension Films, Permut Presentations, Shangri-La Entertainment
- Budget: $18,000,000
- Box office: $19,651,093
- Themes: california, trailer park, based on novel or book, romcom, oakland, california, coming of age, alter ego, teenage boy, teen comedy, duringcreditsstinger
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