Like a Herd of Stampeding Bon-Bons

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2010)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (1:52, PG-13) — other: comedy; 2nd string; crossover
This flick was a hoot!
"Not so long ago, in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada, Scott Pilgrim was dating a high schooler", we learn in the opening scroll. You get a clue where things are heading when you find that Scott (Michael Cera) is the bassist for the rock band Sex Bob Omb, and that 2 of his bandmates are named Stephen Stills (Mark Webber) and Young Neil (Johnny Simmons). But perhaps you've never heard of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Not to worry! More in-jokes are on the way, and screenwriters Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright are shooting at the entire side of the barn, so some of them are bound to hit a window you're familiar with.
For example, you can still relish the performance of Alison Pill as drummer Kim Pine. Director Edgar Wright gives her almost nothing to do besides glower and provide a downbeat, but she does it with flair, verve, and perfect timing. This is typical of a cast studded with tiny, exquisite short appearances.
Sex Bob Omb appears thruout the movie as a framing device, as it is participating in a battle of the bands, and each performance is occasion for some fireworks (both literal and figurative). But the main storyline isn't about this band, or about the other, more successful one, The Clash at Diamondhead, featuring lead singer Natalie "Envy" Adams (Brie Larson), one of Scott's ex-girlfriends.
No, front and center is the girl of Scott's dreams — she rollerblades thru one — Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), recently arrived from New York with her brilliantly colored hair, gothy good looks, big-city standoffishness, and relationship baggage. She has 7 evil exes ("ex-boyfriends", Scott keeps calling them; "exes", she promptly corrects him) whom he must defeat in hand-to-hand combat if he hopes to win her hand. Ramona has taken a shine to Scott — a typical Ceraesque sweet, slender, minimally talented kid who means well but keeps bumbling and tripping over his own tongue — but, like an ensorcelled princess, she's not a free agent.
Complicating things is that Scott has never been particularly adept at relationships. His younger sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick), acting as a kind of Greek chorus, introduces him "This is my brother. He's chronically enfeebled.", and he's currently taking a lot of ribbing for being 22 years old while that high schooler, Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), is only 17. She's clearly smitten with him and tends to cling adoringly; Scott's ready to move on, but Knives isn't, and she's got that nickname for a reason.
And so it goes — POW BIFF BAM WHOMP — each development, detail, deranged improbability, and delightful turn of phrase ("flaming katana of love") coming at you like a herd of stampeding bon-bons. The screen is awash in imagery from comic books and video games, including a digital counter racking up Scott's point totals each time he punches out a foe to the accompaniment of campy freeze-frame BOP words (straight from the Adam West Batman TV series) and a shower of coinage at each victory.
It's a never-ending stream of laff-out-loud moments, and anyone who's inclined to take it anywhere near seriously should probably see it only with the benefit of pharmaceutical attitude adjusters.
Kudos to the entire fun-filled team, and especially to Bryan Lee O'Malley, who wrote the graphic novels this joyride was based on.