The World Awaits

Rating: 7/10 (14 August 2010)

I give Scott Pilgrim a seven rating for its technical virtuosity and for the appeal of its youthful cast. It's a movie strictly for the MTV generation of which I am most certainly not part.
Having the film be based on a comic book character certainly allows you not to be bound by rules of reality and if this film is one thing, it has no rules. Giving a lengthy explanation of the plot would be a waste of time, but simply young Scott Pilgrim lives in a communal type dwelling where he plays in a rock band and hopes for a musical career. But before he can have that he'd better get out from under the girl friend problems he's having. A young Chinese Catholic school girl played by Ellen Wong is the current one he's dating. But Scott's got exes and the exes have exes and they're all for one reason or another bad at him. Before the film is over he has to deal with issues involving them all.
Michael Cera from Canada plays Scott and the film was shot in Toronto, another example of Canadian product mainstreaming right here into the American market. Cera is quirky and appealing in his own way. I did like Kieran Culkin as Scott's gay roommate and Brandon Routh as the action film star who is an ex of a Scott ex.
I admire the work more than I like it. But I'm first to concede that that's me, an old fashioned fellow regarding music who thinks Bing Crosby was our greatest performer. I think the MTV generation should enjoy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.