Fan boy movies are a dime a dozen nowadays, as are the Comic-Con endorsed flavors of the day, so it was with great trepidation, and expectation I found myself wandering into
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Expectation because it's directed by Edgar Wright, the wonderful British humorist of gleeful mash-ups like
Shaun of the Dead and
Hot Fuzz. Trepidation because many times these fan-boy only type movies have an aura of exclusion to them, as in only the cool and devoted are really let into this world; I'm thinking of nearly every comic book adaptation on this one, and myself having no previous knowledge of the source material (created by Bryan Lee O'Malley), I was a bit concerned. However, once the film started, with the Universal logo transformed into a sweetly humorous homage set to the Pac-Man theme, I relaxed and nearly instantaneously surrendered to this joyously inventive confection, itself a delightful mash-up of graphic novels, video games, Bollywood, and pretty nearly everything and anything pop culturally relevant in the past decade. And yet the sweet thing about the film is the audience (including the beginners) are let in on the joke early on, and also get to enjoy an earnest and honest love story set to a style and soul all it's own.
In the beginning, we meet Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, in a role really only he, or possibly Jessie Eisenberg could play.) He plays bass in a garage band in Toronto, and he's also the unlikeliest ladies man in town. Being snubbed before by a pretty blonde rocker chick girl, and in the midst of a semi-fling with a 17-year old Asian girl named Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), Scott meets Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the pink-haired punk fatale of his dreams, literally. After a playful appeal to win her affection, Ramona finally wears down and agrees to "hang." In so the consequences begin-- Ramona has a past and Scott must defeat her seven evil exes to win her hand. And let the games begin.
Right away the film takes note of it's comic origins, the slices of film look like comic grids, heightened to
Batman-esque wordage every time a phone rings, or Scott gets punched. Yet it feels authentic in the story, not distancing the way other films have taken comic worlds to the screen (e.g.-
The Hulk.) There's also a lovely metaphor in the fighting Scott must undergo in winning Ramona's heart. As their relationship deepens, they must fight each others baggage and fight to the finish if it's worth it at all. In other words, we all slug the shit if the other person in worth a damn. Here we just get an awesomely stylized literal version of said shit. There's a nice organic chemistry between Cera and Winstead that makes it all worth it to the audience as well. His awkward mannerisms haven't been in such good form such since
Arrested Development, and her articulate free spirit chick gives way to a nice ebb to his flow. All I kept thinking about Ramona during the course of the film was that she's kind of the younger version of Clementine, Kate Winslet's greatest creation in
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; an impulsive, yet lonely creature; you can practically hear echoes of Clementine's "I'm just a fucked up girl looking for piece of mind," speech channeling Ramona. Plus they both dye their hair often, so perhaps it's a lazy analogy.
The exes themselves in which Mr. Pilgrim must defeat are a hoot and a half as well. Nicely Mr. Wright (ever the generous scripter) gives each an identity and a different motif as well. We get vain actor Lucas Lee (Chris Evans, an in joke in himself as he was also the Human Torch in the
Fantastic Four movies) fights Scott with his league of stunt doubles. Rival bassist Todd (Brandon Routh, previously
Superman) plays a Vegan baddie brought down by half and half. Roxie Richter (Mae Whitman, Cera's love interest on
Arrested Development) is an ex of Ramona's during a brief bi-curious phase. All of which leads to the evilest ex, dryly played by the always welcome Jason Schwartzman. All of the battle scenes (and admittedly it does get a bit too battle intensive toward the end) are wonderfully and gleefully staged as video games. Yet no previous knowledge of
Zelda or whatever those kids play is necessary in savoring the humor or gleefully mad set pieces. Movies have pretty much been ripping off video games for a least the better part of two decades, but
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is first film I believe I've ever seen that comes closest to transcending it. There's too much pleasure in it, not incoherent mess like usual.
But this is a different entity all together-- a fun and bright comic book adaptation, video game ensemble romantic comedy. A weird and fizzy hybrid film that impossibly works even though each scene is staged in such a go for broke, and intentionally silly way. Yet Mr. Wright still finds enough for everybody to do. We get the Cera front and center, and a bright newcomer in Winstead, but there's still time for a strong supporting cast of talented actors to make their own in more thankless roles, yet given strong dialogue and clear precise characterizations. It's in this generosity that extends to a level of inclusiveness to the audience, even ones unfamiliar of
Street Fighter. We can still relate and laugh with Keiran Culkin as Scott's gay and wise roommate, guffaw with Allison Pill as one of Scott's exes (in this film, everyone's baggage comes out on the table), and giggle with Anna Kendrick as Scott's younger sister.
I'm not going to come out and say
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the greatest thing to hit a movie screen, but it is a lovely and original piece of pop entertainment. It's so much fun, a word Hollywood likes to say a lot, but hardly ever offers, usually it gets compromised by jittery film types afraid of something different. It's poster tagline promises, "an epic of epic epicness," and I'd say that about perfectly sums up the experience. A-
