heckler

Matt
Rating: 8 out of 10

Do I have the right to review a film or have a movie blog? Yes I do, and the answer is simple: because I exist.

My only rub with this film is Jamie Kennedy complains that movie bloggers and posters of the interwebs trash him. He gets offended and wonders why a nobody can tear him and his films apart. But just as he has the right to take the stage as a comic or star in a film, we have the right to hate on his work.

That said — it’s really my only complaint about this film. Kennedy went to great lengths to interview a host of comedians, actors and performers who shared some really great stories and insights on heckling. I’m sure hecklers have existed since the Romans battled gladiators, and this film sheds some great light on an awkward social faux  pas. We’ve all experienced it, whether it’s at a movie or at a comedy club, that jerk yelling remarks from the back. It’s hard enough to make people laugh, but it’s just painful when a heckler verbally assaults a comic. There are some really great interview with comedians in “Heckler,” from David Cross and Louie Anderson to Bill Maher, and it’s really fun to hear their stories. It’s also interesting to see how hard it can be on them. More than I anticipated.

It was also funny to watch Kennedy interview a really awkward blogger who absolutely vomitted all over his work. However, as annoying as that guy is, he deserves a voice. It’s just not as annoying as the guy shouting from the back of the theater. And Kennedy interviews that guy, too. This is an often hilarious and insightful documentary that’s definitely worth a watch.

Youth in Revolt

While his trailer trash parents teeter on the edge of divorce, Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) sets his sights on dream girl Sheeni Saunders, hoping that she’ll be the one to take away his virginity. Directed by Miguel Arteta, who has been a successful television director with shows like “Six Feet Under” “The Office” and “Freaks and Geeks.”

Matt
Rating: 6 out of 10

Nick’s girlfriend needs him to be so bad he gets kicked out of his mother’s house so he has to move in with his dad, who lives near her. He spends much of his time ruining his life — setting downtown on fire, stealing cars, dropping out of school — for a girl he once spent an afternoon with. That’s the lynch pin, for me, that made this movie not settle right. But there’s other great aspects of this film that made it a pretty fun watch. Nick is a total weenie, and creates Francois in his mind, a smooth-talking lady’s man who encourages him along his path of destruction.

There are some moments of genuine teen angst in this film and some funny parts, too. There are nice supporting roles by Fred Willard as a crunchy liberal neighbor and Zach Galifianakis as Nick’s mother’s boyfriend who is a total pig of a man. All in all, the movie has some very funny moments but asks the audience to make leaps that are a little too far, even for a silly comedy. It’s a little much for the director to ask his audience to connect with a sweet, naive teen love story then be totally fine with slapstick and ridiculous stretches of plot.