Scott Pilgrim vs the World **** (2010, Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Wong, Johnny Simmons, Alison Pill, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman) – Movie Review 5528

Michael Cera is hilarious as 22-year-old geeky, jobless, band member Scott Pilgrim, who is a surprising hit with the girls. Pale and skinny are the new brown and brawny. The only problem is his latest flame Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has seven angry exes! They are coming at him and he is going to have to battle them.

Based on a cult series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, this exhilarating movie from Edgar Wright, the director of Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007) is a pulsating ride, funny, stylish, hip and really appealing. Its heady mood and free spirit are absolutely intoxicating.

Kieran Culkin and Ellen Wong also shine as Cera’s gay flatmate Wallace Wells and his previous girlfriend Knives Chau. the only trouble with the movie is it lets some of the characters drift and fade away. What happened to fellow band members Young Neil (Johnny Simmons) and Kim Pine (Alison Pill), for example? And the end needs a sharper edit. There is too much time for Jason Schwartzman’s caricatured rock impresario villain Gideon Graves to let it start getting annoying.

Otherwise, even without much of a story to tell and burdened with some weaker jokes, it is totally great.

Michael Bacall writes the screenplay with Wright.

Wright went on to direct The World’s End (2013) and Baby Driver (2017).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5528

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