> Scott Pilgrim Vs the World
4 stars (out of 5)
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Michael Cera, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman
Rating: (M)
At the moment if you are casting a role for an awkward but semi-cool young guy, your go-to guy is Michael Cera. Here in Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Rialto and Hoyts) he is at it again.
As Scott Pilgrim he lives in Toronto playing bad bass in a bad band while moping over his ex-girlfriend who dumped him for a good bass player and has become a huge rock star.
Things are sort of looking up as he has just started going out with a 17-year-old schoolgirl called Knives Chau (Ellen Wong).
His friends relentlessly mock him for it but Knives adores him and if he had any brains he would just enjoy his good luck.
In no time Scott is lusting after Romona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a mystery girl who has just moved into town.
Scott pesters Romona into hanging out and before he knows it he is engaged in a battle to the death with her seven evil ex-boyfriends.
This is all based on a graphic novel so the film does a lot of cutesy tricks to replicate the comic-book feel.
It is not as wildly original as it seems to think but it keeps your interest even after the video-game fight sequences start to get tedious.
The best gauge of how the movie will sit with you though, is how much do you like Michael Cera?
Best thing: Despite being annoyingly cute it still manages to be funny.
Worst thing: Like most modern movies it overstays its welcome. Why not five evil exes instead of seven?
See it with: Someone wearing a stupid knitted hat with earflaps.
- Christine Powley.
