- Words cannot express how much I disliked this movie. And by “words cannot express”, I clearly mean I’ll make several long-winded points attempting to address my issues.
- I should be upfront and state that there were things I did like about the movie. The video game treatment of the Universal logo. 90% of the music. The special effects. The action sequences. These things were all very good and entertaining but as with many other movies I’ve disliked despite being made up of decent parts, I am left incredibly cold. I mean, what is the point? I’m having difficulty reconciling some of the stylistic elements with the plot, namely with anything and everything to do with the Sex Bob-omb. Is there something beyond the superficiality of “battle” having multiple connotations that isn’t resonating with me?
- Scott Pilgrim himself is pretty much the sublimation of every passive anti-hero known to man and is definitely making a play for the top of my Character I Most Want To Punch In The Face list for 2010. Woe is him, ladies keep breaking his heart! Maybe if he wasn’t such a lazy whiner they wouldn’t be constantly dumping him? Just a thought. If I had to keep a log of what Scott does all day, it would include such exciting things as ignoring his girlfriend, ditching his band, and… that would be about it.
- This movie comes from the Slumdog Millionaire school of relationship building. We’re not really given any reason to understand what Scott sees in Ramona on account of him deciding five seconds after laying eyes on her that she will be his (oh yes, she will be his). The movie spends far less time developing any kind of relationship between the two of them than it does on Scott’s attempts to conquer Ramona’s exes as if he’s overcompensating for something significant lacking in his own romantic experience. His attempts to win her heart don’t really feel like they’re about her at all; like the video games the movie likes to emulate, Scott is on a quest to dominate and beat other men, with Ramona being the prize at the end. Sorry, Scott, but your princess is in another castle. I won’t even get into the symbolism of Ramona’s relationship with Gideon which is all kinds of fucked up in and of itself, and in terms of how it positions Scott’s attempts to defeat him and the other exes.
- Also, Gideon? Seriously?
- I’d complain that Ramona herself is not that likable or interesting, but it’s not really her fault given that Scott’s self-absorption and hero-building prevent him from actually seeing her as a person. This isn’t really unique to her as he approaches everyone this way, it seems. God I hate this guy.
- Raise your hand if when Scott realised Roxy was one of Ramona’s exes, you wanted Scott to say “… her?”
- Scott’s band mates are named Stephen Stills and Young Neil. Seriously?
- Something I liked about the second most recent episode of True Blood was that it featured a physical fight between two women that didn’t exist for the titilation of any men in the scene (or in the audience). Imagine how thrilled I was when the “bi-furious” fight erupted. Has this not been done to death yet? This is still interesting for people? These are rhetorical questions, obviously.
- Also, Knives was GREAT. And clearly too good for Scott.
- I’d say roughly 80% of this movie was filmed on my street. Sometimes even across the street from where I live. Weird.
- I am clearly missing something huge here. I could go on, but I’m trying to invest as little in this movie as it did in giving me a reason to care.
Categories: 1 Star
Yeah. I read the first volume of this (still planning to try a couple more, just to see if it’s me) and had the exact same reaction. According to some fans, apparently I’m not “supposed” to like Scott — he’s *supposed* to be a douchey repulsive slacker — but I still don’t understand how this is supposed to jive with rooting for what’s essentially a romantic story or remotely enjoying what looks like an otherwise really entertaining movie. I can’t ignore all the awesome video game tics and music if the central force is a DICK.
I found Knives a very sweet girl too, and Ramona kind of vaguely repugnant. Yo, she rollerblades and has wacky dyed hair, and won’t speak to you; yes, I can totally see how she’d be a fascinating woman. But like you say, it’s more the fault of an unreliable narrator.
Pretty much. I have no interest in rooting for this guy so I don’t care about his story. There are douchebags who you don’t necessarily root for but who are at least entertaining to watch; Scott Pilgrim doesn’t really fall into that category.
More than one reviewer has called this movie Twilight for boys, but I think this one has done the best job of explaining why: Scott Mendelson in HuffPo
I think I agree completely with that guy.
To me, I read this as Scott being someone who was so reprehensible and oblivious towards the women he’s with UNTIL that final moment where he ditches that Sword of Love in exchange for a Sword of Self-Respect. As a result, the end of the film is not the close, but rather the beginning of a mature re-awakening of Scott’s mature responsibility.
Moreover, Ramona seems to be treating herself like a reclamation project. The controlling computer chip seems like the ultimate metaphor for how some people feel like they can’t move away from past relationships, from that baggage they’ve allowed to define them. She’s damaged goods, and she’s wrapped it in this untouchable cool-girl shell. Scott fell for that superficiality, but he shows maturity in wanting to know the “real” her at the end, wanting to take that journey with her to repair herself. The end isn’t that they’re now in love, but that he’s willing to try a serious, committed relationship with someone without looking for an exit.
Your comparison with Slumdog Millionaire would make sense to me if they were truly in love, but I think that journey is just beginning. Man, fuck Slumdog Millionaire.
I forgot how much you hate Slumdog Millionaire.
I think if I weren’t a huge fan of the books I would totally agree with you. At the risk of being That Fan, I’ll just say that the entire series, especially the last volume, is essentially all about how Scott and Ramona are tremendously dickish in their own special ways, but more importantly, how they come to realize this and struggle with it–and eventually understand that all anyone can do is try to move forward and do better. The commenter above me is dead on in that the END of the movie–and the books–is the true, mature beginning to their relationship. Scott’s realized that he’s a selfish slacker that’s treated his past girlfriends pretty badly, and Ramona’s learned that she’s only ever run away from her problems and, in the process, has never let anyone really ever know her (not to mention a lot of her exes are pretty damn justified in hating her now). That said, I can totally understand how you feel about this movie and you articulate here my problems with it.
Anyway, I actually stopped by here just to tell you how much I like your reviews in general. Especially in the cases of Atonement and Slumdog Millionaire, you just know exactly how to say what I’m thinking. Thanks for the reviews.
I agree with Sofia and Gabe about the movies resolution, but I also don’t hate Scott or Ramona as played by Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I also saw the film recently in Toronto and was able to pick out a few locations like Honest Ed’s in the background. As a fan of the books I thought it was faithful to the spirit and was pretty hilarious. I’m sure the critical part of my brain shut down because I wanted to like the movie so much, but I’m glad to hear other peoples opinions on the movie whether or not they liked it.