All About Youth in Revolt
The format of both the book and screenplay presented Arteta and the cast with unusual challenges. “It’s a picaresque novel,” Arteta explains. “It’s a series of adventures, with new characters coming in every ten minutes. That’s hard to do in film. We needed people who were great to pull it off.”
Arteta’s wishes came true with an enviable cast that includes Jean Smart, Steve Buscemi, Mary Kay Place, M. Emmet Walsh, Zach Galifianakis, Fred Willard, Ray Liotta, Justin Long, Ari Graynor, and Jonathan B. Wright. “We were blessed with amazing actors who were able to make an unusual structure work.”
First “attached” to the film was rabid Payne fan Michael Cera, who had long desired to play Nick Twisp. Cera was on board from the project’s infancy, long before SUPERBAD and JUNO hit theaters. (Michael was a crazy fan of the book,” Arteta says of his lead. “It was the one book he read that doesn’t condescend to teenagers.”) Cera comments on the book’s universality: “I was around the age of the main character when I read it, and I completely related to it. Anyone who was ever a teenager could relate to it, especially if you had a romantic interest that somehow drove you crazy.”
Cera explains the reasons for his character’s malaise. “Nick doesn’t have a great home life. His parents are divorced. His mother has an idiot boyfriend and his life is stagnant. He meets this girl who blows his mind and he feels that he has to hang onto her.”
Cera relished the opportunity to portray Nick’s alter ego, Francois. “The idea to flesh out his naughtiness into a French version of himself was wonderful,” Arteta says. “We have an amazing costume designer, Nancy Steiner, and makeup artist, Roz Music. Michael, Roz, Nancy and I thought we shouldn’t push things too hard. Michael had the great idea to not go for an obvious French accent. He managed to avoid every cliché by doing that. We looked at French new wave movies for his hair. Roz had the idea of putting five o’clock shadow and stubble on him to look tired. Nancy had the idea for the tight white pants and blue shirt.”
The elusive object of Nick’s burgeoning desire is Sheeni Saunders, portrayed by relative newcomer Portia Doubleday. “I think that there’s an attraction to him because he’s like her, and I think that he can somewhat figure her out, and can speak her language,” Doubleday says. “I think that when he comes in and can actually hold a conversation with her, she’s kind of taken aback.”
Even Cera found that he could relate to the complex, mysterious Sheeni: “You never know she feels about you, or what she’s really thinking. She’s such a puzzle. That’s really what I loved about the character. She’s so well-depicted in the book. I just could really relate to that torment,” Cera explains.
Mary Kay Place, who plays Mrs. Saunders, Sheeni’s mother, found that Doubleday was perfectly cast in a role that needed to be treated delicately: “She has innocence and purity combined with an old soul. It’s a fascinating combination. I think it’s really nice for the character of Sheeni because she could be a little too manipulative and conniving as a character. I think the kind of purity that is the essence of Portia is a really nice balance for that.”
Jean Smart was suggested for the role of Estelle Twisp by fan Michael Cera. Smart reciprocates by noting that YOUTH IN REVOLT had all of the elements that make for an outstanding creative experience: “Sometimes you do a movie it’s because you just have to play ‘that part.’ Sometimes you think, ‘Oh the part’s okay but I’m dying to work with that director.’ Other times you think, ‘It’s a nice project but I really want to work with that actor.’ Sometimes having a great cast begets a greater cast. The more great people you have the more you attract. We have everything in this one.”
“I think she loves her son, but it’s not very apparent,” Smart says of her character. “Unfortunately, what’s most important to her is having a man around to take care of her. She’s a divorced single mom and she can’t be without a guy. Having a son who’s a teenager doesn’t help.”
Steve Buscemi plays Nick’s father, George Twisp. “He is one of the greatest character actors. It was such a treat,” Arteta says. “I liked that Jean Smart and Steve Buscemi created Michael Cera.”
Estelle first entangles herself in a doomed romance with Jerry, portrayed by THE HANGOVER’S Zach Galifianakis. “Jerry’s a truck driver. He doesn’t have a lot of regard for Nick. He’s pretty happy-go-lucky.” Galifianakis says. Galifianakis was eager to work with Cera: “Michael is really subtle. It’s nice to see a young actor not play it so over-the-top. I think that’s what’s extraordinary about him.”
Estelle ultimately lands in the arms of Lance, portrayed by Ray Liotta. “SOMETHING WILD really inspired me to make movies,” Arteta says of one of Liotta’s most celebrated performances. “I thought he could really play someone who would make Nick’s life so terrible.”
Mary Kay Place portrays Sheeni’s overprotective mother, Mrs. Saunders. I’ve been a fan of Mary Kay Place since I was a boy in Puerto Rico watching ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” which I couldn’t understand at all but was fascinated by,” Arteta enthuses.
YOUTH IN REVOLT is Fred Willard’s second collaboration with Miguel Arteta. Willard first appeared in the director’s student film for the American Film Institute. Arteta was ecstatic to have Willard join the production: “There are only a few lines, but the character has such a huge presence.”
Jonathan B. Wright and Ari Graynor, who both appeared in NICK AND NORA’S INFINITE PLAYLIST, were suggested for Trent and Lacey by their NICK AND NORA co-star, Michael Cera. Arteta adds: “They knocked their auditions out of the park. They fit the bill of the movie that is trying to do something unique.”
Wright portrays Trent, Nick’s “arch nemesis,” though the actor notes that his role as the film’s antagonist is ironic. “The funny thing is that Trent really never does anything that bad, whereas Nick does a whole bunch of awful things throughout the whole movie, but we’re rooting for him the whole time,” Wright explains.
Wright found the script to be a fresh and original take on young love. “Compared to other teen movies the script is so much more advanced, complex and compelling. It’s fantastical and realistic at the same time. Miguel and Michael and this amazing ensemble of actors that got together for this, I think it’s something special. I’m proud to be a part of it,” Wright says.
Justin Long joined the production briefly to portray Paul Saunders, Sheeni’s brother who enjoys serving psychedelic mushrooms to his friends and family. “I think he is one of the funniest quickest guys. He has such amazing verbal ability. He can spit fire dialogue and you totally understand it. He is almost like a throwback to a screwball comedy of the 40s,” Arteta says.
M. Emmet Walsh, whom Arteta had admired since seeing BLOOD SIMPLE, and Erik Knudsen round out the cast as Mr. Saunders and Lefty, respectively.
Arteta and the production transformed rural Michigan into their Northern California. Production designer Tony Fanning worked with Arteta to locate pockets of Michigan that could double for the Golden State. “We would try and find homes that look like they’re in California, the environment. A lot of the foliage is close. We were lucky when we came to Michigan that we found areas that look like they would be along the shoreline in Ukiah, and we searched most of the state for Berkeley and Oakland.”
Also contributing to YOUTH IN REVOLT’s authenticity is its favor of existing locations over built sets. This posed quite a difficulty for the production when they sought out a home that would allow a car to be placed in their living room. Fanning explains: “You would think that you’d want to build a set to be able to do that. Miguel wanted to follow the characters from the car outside into the house, and to be with them when they had the reaction to seeing the vehicle. We decided to try to go for it on location, and finding that house was a major feat. We saw probably over thirty-five houses until we finally found somebody who was willing to let us put a car in their living room.”
The solution proved a win-win for both the filmmakers and the homeowners. “We actually got the owners to agree to let us take out part of the wall. They thought it was kind of a fun idea, and we’re really kind of into it. We agreed to open up their wall and replace it with glass doors when we restored the house.”
The Saunders home also offered Fanning an opportunity to push creative boundaries. Inspiration can come from unlikely places, and Fanning and Arteta found it while location scouting at an RV Park. “The owners were this wonderful couple. The husband had purchased an organ for his wife, and they basically installed a full organ in their double-wide trailer like a cathedral organ,” Fanning says. “I thought that was a fantastic thing for someone to do. It was such a great idea that we put an organ in the double-wide that we built for the Saunders house. They have a bit of a religious background. It’s written to be a two-story trailer, which doesn’t really exist. There are one-and-a-half story trailers from the late-60s but very few were manufactured. We took those ideas and came up with a two-story trailer that we did on location. It was quite fun to do.”
Costume Designer Nancy Steiner worked with Arteta, cinematographer Chuy Chavez and Fanning to create costumes that defined the diverse cast but melded with the overall palate of the film. “We wanted it to be classic in a way, and to be not so time-specific. You’ll notice there are no cell phones in the movie. We’re trying to just keep it in a classic form, and I tried to do that with the costumes. Tonally it’s not very bright. It’s a mix of medium tones, and interesting tones of color.”
Throughout the film, different types of animation complement the story. Peter Sluszka was enlisted to weave these animated sequences into the world of YOUTH IN REVOLT. “It’s essentially Nick Twisp’s personal diary. With that kind of narrative structure, you’re always seeing things from a narrator’s point-of-view. It’s an interesting way to portray how this person might imagine the things that he is talking about. It’s more truthful to the character’s psyche, and the way he imagines things, and the fact that you can’t always trust exactly what a narrator says either.”
“It’s a very mixed-media kind of piece,” Sluszka continues. “I liked the way they wanted to use animation throughout where it just kind of flowed as part of the story. It was a natural way in which this kid viewed and kind of framed his world, and imagined the things that he was talking about. The script itself was really entertaining, and the animation seemed very well-integrated.”
“There were elements of the book that would have been more difficult to conceive as live-action,” Permut says. “The animation became another component of the movie that I think sets it aside. It’s one of those things that elevates it, makes it distinctive, different, original, and fresh. The movie is told from Nick’s point-of-view, so the animation is what goes in the head of Nick Twisp. I think audiences today are looking for things that are provocative, distinctive, unique.”
What ultimately unifies YOUTH IN REVOLT is the film’s rumination on young love. “The idea was to try and show what it’s like to be in love for the first time and all of the crazy things you want to do for the first time when you get that feeling.”
Nick is the quintessential outsider,” Permut adds. “But he is the kind of character we can all relate to because we all can feel like outsiders. You want to root for him in his dilemma. He creates a bit of havoc and damage along the way, but ultimately it’s for a noble cause.”
Youth in Revolt (2010)
Directed by: Miguel Arteta
Starring by: Michael Cera, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Jean Smart, M. Emmet Walsh, Adhir Kalyan, Portia Doubleday, Justin Long, Zach Galifinakis, Rooney Mara, Jade Fusco, Lise Lacasse, Ari Graynor
Screenplay by: Gustin Nash, Miguel Arteta, Michael Cera
Production Design by: Tony Fanning
Cinematography by: Chuy Chávez
Film Editing by: Andy Keir, Pamela Martin
Costume Design by: Nancy Steiner
Set Decoration by: Cynthia La Jeunesse
Art Direction by: Gerald Sullivan
Music by: John Swihart
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, language and drug use.
Studio: Dimension Films
Release Date: January 8, 2010