Youth in Revolt
Dir: Miguel Arteta
2010
****
C. D. Payne's epistolary novel is almost impossible to properly adapt due to the nature of its construction but in my opinion Miguel Arteta developed all the dark, juicy and best parts for his film. It was somewhat underrated and misunderstood on realise though it seems, with fans of the novel feeling short changed (not sure what they expected) and others possibly mislead by the poster/synopsis/post-production publicity. Youth in Revolt made me laugh consistently throughout the 90 minute run time, thanks mostly to the sharp script and the great performance by Michael Cera. The supporting cast is also impressive but are ultimately  unnecessary, as Michael Cera carries the film by himself, indeed it could have been a one man show with extras. It was a real breath of fresh air on release amid the usual bile inducing teen films of the last decade but then I think it's fair to say that this film is a little more universal than that, it's just been marketed badly. This is not the American Pie type of film the trailer suggested it was, sadly it wasn't as popular which is a mystery to me but I do think time will be favorable to it as I'm sure it will be re-discovered as the brilliant film it is.

Cedar Rapids
Dir: Miguel Arteta
2011
***
At first sight it looks like another one of those comedies that we've seen before but it really isn't. It's nice to see a comedy that doesn't try too hard to shock or disgust and one that acknowledges the ordinary-ish guy without resorting to exaggeration. It's not too formulaic and not too predictable and it pretty much gives you what you want. Okay, so it's not exceptional but I appreciated its subtlety. There are no big belly laughs as such but you will probably smile continuously throughout. The comedy underdog of 2011.