Youth in Revolt

Miguel Arteta directed Youth in Revolt, a 2009 American comedy-drama-romance adapted by screenwriter Gustin Nash. It follows Nick Twisp, a teenager with refined tastes and no romantic experience, whose divorcing parents and his mother's shifting living arrangements leave him restless. A stay at a trailer park brings him into contact with Sheeni Saunders, a girl whose tastes and manner captivate him immediately. Since she already has a boyfriend, Nick invents an alter ego, the far more assertive François Dillinger, through whom he pursues her while juggling his parents' separation and the complications his double life creates.

Michael Cera plays both Nick and François, heading a cast that includes Portia Doubleday as Sheeni, Jean Smart as Nick's mother Estelle, Steve Buscemi as his father George, M. Emmet Walsh and Adhir Kalyan, among 31 credited performers. The film sits between Arteta's The Good Girl (2002) and Cedar Rapids (2011) in his directing filmography, with David Permut producing for Dimension Films, Permut Presentations and Shangri-La Entertainment.

Made for a budget of 18 million USD, it returned roughly 20 million USD worldwide, a modest result for its scale. Audience scores sit at 6.4/10 on IMDb from 78,000 votes and 6.1/10 on TMDB from 1,005 votes, while critics rated it 6.5/10 across 168 reviews, a slightly warmer reception than general viewers gave it.