"Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World"

 

"The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there." So intones the narrator of Joseph Losey and Harold Pinter's great 1971 The Go-Between. (The lines themselves, it should be noted, come directly from the L.P. Hartley novel from which the film is adapted.) True, too, but the present can also often come off as a foreign country, depending on who's looking at what aspect of it. And certainly,  for a lot of people—and it looks as if older film writers are, at the moment, making up a preponderance of such folks— the present depicted in Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World comes across as a very foreign country. And of course it is kind of amusing to see certain critics who encounter the film react to it with teeth-gnashing, these-damn-kids-today-are-ruining-everything-I-loved fulminating that they themselves surely must have mocked their own parents for back in the days of the Beatles, or Harry James, or whoever the hell they evinced an incomprehensible-to-the-older-generation enthusiasm for in their own youths. 

Amusing, but not particularly interesting, or maybe only interesting inasmuch as the youth cultural realm depicted in Scott Pilgrim is in fact more than a little anachronistic, right from the relatively low-resolution video-game rendering of the Universal Pictures logo at the film's outset. Scott Pilgrim's gamers do a lot of playing at arcades; Scott himself plays bass in a band that has zero digital elements and a quasi-Beat-Happening thing going on with the instrumentation. These early-20s alt-slack-hipsters are definitely kind of out of time, and not just because the graphic novel/comic book series from which this movie's adapted (and which I haven't read, and had almost zero prior knowledge of—I mean, there's due diligence, and then there's what-do-you-want-from-me-anyway-I-haven't-read-War-and-Peace-yet-for-God's-sake) began publishing in 2004, for heaven's sake. But also because the world of Scott Pilgrim is set in some approximation of Toronto, and Canadian hipsterdom is both a little more studied and a little more relaxed (about a lot of things, being behind the curve being one of them) than the kind you might encounter in Brooklyn. This is a condition not addressed in a whole lot of contemporary films, but Olivier Assayas did a nice job of conveying certain aspects of it in the early scenes of his 2004 Clean. 

But still. The very fact that the film partakes in and pays homage to video game culture, and lets that culture be a predominate influence on its storytelling and visuals is enough to inspire eschatological musings, particularly as there's been an uptick in "whatever happened to the good old-fashioned romantic comedies" musings going around the media. Because this is, as it happens, a romantic comedy, and I think a pretty good one, and in its own particular and zeitgeist-specific way it does manage to say some very real and not uninteresting things about the way Young People Relate To Each Other In Our Contemporary Society. At the film's beginning—whose wit has a simultaneously laid-back and jittery quality to it that reminded me, quite pleasantly, of Spaced, the groundbreaking British television comedy that Wright was a prime mover on—the definitively milquetoasty bassist Scott (Michael Cera, and no, I can't say that I myself am sick of him just yet), who's 22, is dating a 17-year-old high-school student named Knives (Ellen Wong), a wide-eyed innocent cutie who's every geek's dream, so to speak, and the movie is quite acute in depicting how such inappropriate crush-objects can turn from cute to kind of irritating in mere moments. When you are 22, I hasten to add. I also enjoyed how the video game trope purposefully ramps up towards the end, as Scott comes to the climax of his epic battle chain with the "Seven Evil Exes" of post-Knives love object Ramona (Elizabeth Mary Winstead) and the video game prompts and sometimes literally spell out the emotional progress the character has made, or, more crucially, believes he has made. Or as Scott puts it at one point, "I think I learned something." These and a host of other formal devices actually are the "emotional content" that certain complainers are just going to automatically complain isn't there; I thought that they were particularly ingenious in conveying that particular, and I think near-universal, or at least generation-transcending, aspect of being young that's a state of constant nagging self-consciousness that you think is going to drive you nuts...except when it's not there, and you act like your actual thoughtless self, and have to deal with the consequences. The inability to do anything right even when you're doing right. And so on. 

But on the other hand, to hell with all that. I just had a blast watching the damn thing. Wright's absorption of both comic-book and video-game styles and innovations made this the most formally exciting new film I've seen in a theater since Resnais' Wild Grass. I love the fact that the video-game world in which Scott Pilgrim is set is just a given; there's no "here's reality, and now we're going to enter another realm" hemming and hawing; it is what it is. And it allows Wright to go nuts, packing each frame with information, playing with aspect ratios, dividing the image into awesome Neal-Adams-esque triangles, and on, and on, and on. (One scene, in which Scott wanders trying to figure out how to break up with Knives, is largely done with dissolves, and the use of such a traditional transitional device actually comes as a shock in this context.) And yes, there's a lot here that suggests Gondry-gone-digital, but Wright's sensibility overall is drier, not as wistfully self-involved; more almost sensible, if you will. The formal freedom Wright exercises here transcends genres, and it and harks back to classics such as The Big Lebowski, and, yes, I'll say it, certain of the Powell/Pressburger films—films that take place in entirely created worlds, and where the nods to "reality" or "realism" or what have you are made strictly at the discretion of the artist. 

And I thought the film's people—particularly its women—were terrifically winning. I was particularly amused, and disturbed, by how Anna Kendrick, as Scott's naggy sister Stacey, makes the usually insufferable "whatever" stance seem downright...sexy. Maybe it's just me. Then again, had Frasier ever deigned to actually show the character of Maris,well, Kendrick could be said to have the stuff it takes to play her, if you get what I mean. This picture also marks one of the very few times I found Mark Webber even tolerable on screen (don't even talk to me about defending him until you've sat through The Hottest State); in fact he's quite funny here as a hysterically whingy singer named (brilliantly) Stephen Stills. Maybe he just needs to play hysterically whingy characters all the time. But each of the performers, all the way to Brandon Routh, displays charisma and engagement and has impeccable, sneak-up-on-you comic timing. Even as a confirmed Edgar Wright booster (full disclosure: He's my Facebook friend!!!), I was just a bit surprised at how taken I was with the picture, and I'm eager to see it again with my honey, who I think is gonna like it too. 

Comments

[joel_gordon]

Having just seen the poor man's HOT FUZZ (THE OTHER GUYS), I can only appreciate Wright more. SPACED is awesome. Well, why not start a Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) appreciation thread?

[Charles Webb]

There's kind of an interesting schism going on now with this movie. I'm excited to see it but it seems like the division is between either interest or outright contempt (in this household, at least, my wife and I stand on opposite sides). It was surprising to see some of the same strong reactions among my cohorts while at Comic-Con (in spite of the positive notices it received, many of the fellow comics critics I was hanging were almost outright hostile to the idea of seeing the movie).

[JC]

The reviews were pretty mixed overall, but they've taken an uptick as of late. There definitely seems to be a generational divide on this one but, hey, Stephanie Zacharek hated it, so I'm sure I'll dig it.

I'm usually in agreement with Mr. Kenny on these types of films, with the "formally exciting" aspect being the key element in my interest in seeing it. And I like Cera just fine, dating back to his solid, understated work (whilst surrounded by utter insanity) on Arrested Development.

[Owain Wilson]

Charles, I thought it was just me!

Going by the trailers and what I've read, I think this film looks dreadful. That whole you-must-fight-my-seven-evil-exes nonsense just makes me roll my eyes and sigh. Also, it doesn't help that the trailer completely falls flat, with all the little beats and gags failing to raise a laugh or even a smile (and not just from me, either - the trailer consistently gets no reaction from the many cinema audiences I've seen it with).

I absolutely adore Spaced, but found Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz to be surprisingly boring and unfunny. Glenn's review has actually sparked my interest, though. Maybe I'll give Scott Pilgrim the benefit of the doubt.

[lipranzer]

I didn't like Webber much in THE HOTTEST STATE, but it's hard to know how much is his fault and how much is director/co-star Ethan Hawke's, given that no one except Hawke really comes off well.

I loved Wright's previous films, but I have to admit I'm getting tired of Cera, and the trailer didn't do it for me. I'll catch this at a bargain matinee, maybe.

[Tom Russell]

I must be a little odd, then, Owain, because the trailer had me in stitches-- and it did the same for several of my friends. And, having been rather cool on the concept/what little I've read of the source material, said trailer is what singlehandedly has made me excited for this picture for a few months' time.

Different strokes, different folks.

[Dan Coyle]

I'm probably the only one on earth who liked The Hottest State, the novel, but I avoided the film like the plague.

As for Scott Pilgrim, the anti-nerd brigade is downing the rageohol so much on this one I think it needs to be seen just to fuck with them. I mean, Wells thinks fans of this movie should be put in camps.

[lazarus]

I loved Wright's first two films but Owain Wilson is right in that this trailer was awful, awful, awful. The crowd at the midnight screening of Inception hooted and booed it when it was over (over the exaltations of a clear minority), and that group is supposed to be the film's key demographic.

I may capitulate once this hits the $2 theatre, but this looks way too eye-rolling for me.

[jbryant]

Caught the midnight show last night. Agree with everything Glenna says. I was a bit on the fence going in; loving Wright but having been only intermittently impressed with the trailer. But it works on its own terms, and yeah, the cast is great. FWIW, my gaming experience amounts to a few bar sessions with Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, and several hours of Super Mario Brothers with my girlfriend. And I'm sure I'm older than most of the "teeth-gnashing" fogies.

[jbryant]

Wait, "Glenna"? Just a typo--not trying to suggest Glenn has made a new life choice. "Glenn or Glenna," not coming soon to a theater near you.

[Castle Bravo]

I prefer Billy Pilgrim...

[Carrie]

Completely agree with Glenn and Joy. It's visually imaginative and the cybernetic courtly romance is very endearing. Yeah, I got only about 60 percent of the jokes (my gaming experience began and ended with Pong), but that was enough to keep my smile muscles working.

[Jeff McMahon]

Is there anyone that Jeff Wells doesn't want to put in a camp? (Besides himself, of course.)

[John M]

Put me in the camp of people who thought Hot Fuzz was weirdly overrated. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, I guess--my initial reaction was, this here's a mess. And it's not nearly as funny as it could be.

Grumble.

[LexG]

Wells rules.

[Jeff McMahon]

Wells rules the bitter, twisted kingdom of his own mind.

Hey Lex, here's something for you to use as fodder: Kittens are awesome! (Anticipated response: "Kittens are LOSER FAGS and should be exterminated. PUPPY POWER".

Hot Fuzz is a mess, but it's a mess with a lot of good stuff in it, and it showed that Wright can do pretty good action sequences.

[bill]

Wells does NOT, in fact, rule.

I may see this tomorrow. I love SHAUN OF THE DEAD, really like HOT FUZZ, but have been left utterly cold by what I've seen of SPACED so far, a fact which perplexes me no end. Not that there's a hell of a lot of connection between the two, outside of the fact that they're both British, and skewed towards geeks, but I'll take GARTH MARENGHI'S DARKPLACE any day.

Anyway, Wright separated from Pegg and Frost makes me nervous, and the trailers didn't do it for me, either. But I'm still curious.

[Fuzzy Bastarrd]

I loved SPACED, and kept waiting for Wright to have the money/time/script to channel its crazy stylization into a feature film. Very excited by what Glenn says about the movie's treating its wild world as a given---that's much of what was so delightful about SPACED, which saw no need to divide its world into real things and funny things. Dana Stevens, in Slate, tries to domesticate the idea with "The boundary between what's taking place in the real world and what's a projection of Scott's psyche remains fluid—does it matter whether the exes he's battling actually have superpowers or whether it just feels that way?" But that seems to get it precisely wrong---it's all happening in cinematic space, which is a fine place for things to occur.

[bill]

@Fuzzy - All well and good, but I just didn't find SPACED very funny. Which is truly the part that baffled me.

[Fuzzy Bastarrd]

@ bill: Aguhbuhwha? Dang! Not even the ecstasy scene? Not even the slatternly landlord? Geez.

[Dan Coyle]

I'm kinda with bill here: there were funny parts but I got tired of the constant referencing real quick.

[bill]

Yeah, the references were just...references. Or so I remember -- it's been a while at this point. And Fuzzy, I have no idea if I found those scenes funny or not, or if I even saw them. I saw most of the first season, and had no interest in going further. If those scenes were in the early episodes I saw, I may have chuckled, but no more.

[LexG]

ABJECT.

FUCKING.

TORTURE.

Worst movie of 2010, worst movie I've seen in YEARS, if not EVER. Annoying, shrill, campy, boring, UNFUNNY, EMBARRASSING, STUPID, grating, CUTESY, precious, smarmy, smug, HIDEOUS in EVERY FUCKING WAY except the lighting was interesting, and I laughed at the Vegan Cop cameos (something 90% of moviegoers won't find funny), and at Schwartzman and a little bit at Chris Evans.

Also was this a competition to see HOW MANY UNATTRACTIVE AND UNAPPEALING female characters one could fit in a single movie? Kendrick is cute, Cera's blonde ex was hot, but Allison Pill and especially that AWFUL Asian stalker/gf were shrill, EMBARRASSING, LOATHESOME, HIGH GAY CAMP shrill and LAME.

You guys actually find this shit funny when ugly women make stupid fucking faces and shout really loud? REPULSIVE.

SOOOOOOOOOOOO unfunny, SOOOOOOOOOOOO EMBARRASSING. I was fucking CRINGING and fucking ASHAMED for almost the entire movie. Edgar Wright fucking BLOWS and anyone who likes this-- fuck, anyone who doesn't HATE IT-- is a fucking IDIOT with shitty taste who ought to be fucking waterboarded for supporting CAMP SHIT like this.

F-MINUS. ZERO STARS.

[Account Deleted]

I was planning on giving Pilgrim a wide berth, but the fact that LexG hates it means it will probably be a cinematic masterwork on some level. Will check it out.

[bill]

Of all the things to make Lex feel ashamed, going to see a movie made by somebody other than him is the thing that does it.

[Charles Webb]

Just saw it last night and while I'm still cobbling together my thoughts for a review (spoilers: mostly positive, but man the sense of compression is ever-present, even to one who didn't finish the books).

That said, man nothing creates a quicker "it-must've-been-better-than-I-thought" reaction than reading that the odious grotesque LexG didn't like it.

[don r. lewis]

Great review, GK...and I agree with you totally. The film just lets itself dive into this world it's created and it's just soooo fun. It's a joy to watch. I'm going to go watch it again today and then I might go watch it again after that.

If anyone's on the fence about it due to the crappy trailers, give it a chance and just give yourself over to it. It's easy to do.

[LexG]

It's a joy to watch if you like TOTAL CAMP BULLSHIT and HIDEOUSLY UGLY GIRLS MAKING STUPID FACES AND MUGGING.

It is THE WORST MOTION PICTURE since PATCH ADAMS.

It is like being gang-raped by a melted snowcone.

It is an ABOMINATION and EDGAR WRIGHT should be DEPORTED.

And so should ANYONE who likes it. If you like this movie, if you think THIS DOGSHIT is funny, you are a WHOLESALE TOTAL FUCKING ASSHOLE.

Other than GLEE, I have never seen anything that made me as aggressively angry and ASHAMED to be watching it.

REPULSIVE, HIDEOUS, UGLY, AWFUL.

[Glenn Kenny]

Wow, something about this movie really got up Mr. G.'s nose. All I can think of are variants of "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln..."

I ought not ride this too hard, lest he come back and say that Dwight Macdonald and Randall Jarrell and Vachel Lindsay all visited him from beyond the grave to tell him that he RULED and that he should have a full-time job at a film critic and everybody else has to BOW.

[Dan Coyle]

Judging by G's track record with other things he absolutely hated, like John Nolte, Scott Pilgrim will go on his best of the year list.