Madison's Majestic Theatre hosts semi-regular late-night screenings of the beloved Coen-brothers cult classic ""The Big Lebowski."" These screenings, dubbed the ""Brew and View,"" usually sell out quickly and end up packed with avid fans, some dressed in costume, sipping $4 White Russians. Despite positive critical reception, when ""The Big Lebowski"" first opened it was a box-office flop. In 1998, it opened at number six at the box office, made less than $6 million and left theaters after just four weeks. However, slowly but surely a fan base for the movie grew purely by word-of-mouth. Eventually DVD sales put ""The Big Lebowski"" in the black three times over. Like ""The Big Lebowski,"" ""Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"" opened this summer to critical praise but box office failure.
""Scott Pilgrim""'s box-office flop was one of the biggest so far this year. It opened at number five, below movies like ""Inception"" that had been out for weeks, taking in only $10 million. For a film with an estimated budget of around $60 Million, a $10 million opening is a disaster of epic proportions. Normally, Universal would have no hope of ever breaking even. But that may turn out not to be the case. There may still be hope left for Universal and inventive films everywhere. I have a feeling that ""Scott Pilgrim"" may just be the next ""Big Lebowski""—the next cult classic. After all, director Edgar Wright's last two movies ""Hot Fuzz"" and ""Shaun of the Dead"" are already DVD favorites.
The critical praise was there from the beginning. Ever since Edgar Wright showed a group of directors an early rough-cut, there had been good word on the street. Jason Reitman, director of ""Up in the Air,"" called the movie a ""game changer"" and said that if he had a movie coming out this year, he wouldn't want it released anywhere near ""Scott Pilgrim."" Kevin Smith, director of ""Clerks"" and ""Dogma,"" said, ""It's spellbinding, and nobody is going to understand what the fuck just hit them."" Smith went on to describe the movie ""as ‘Say Anything' meets ‘Kill Bill.'"" That's one of the best descriptions I've heard of the film, and that may be one of the fundamental reasons why ""Scott Pilgrim"" was a flop.
It's really hard to explain to someone what exactly ""Scott Pilgrim"" is. It's not a superhero movie. It's not a rom-com. It's not an indie dramedy or a big action movie. One of the best, abstract descriptions I have heard is that ""Scott Pilgrim"" is like a musical with stylized ""fight numbers"" instead of musical numbers. And if an ardent supporter of the film such as myself can barely manage to describe it, maybe there wasn't much hope for Universal to be able to do it in a 30-second TV ad.
The reality is that ""Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"" is simultaneously a groundbreaking and incredibly entertaining film. Edgar Wright's attention to detail and shot composition are astounding, and the eye-popping visual effects demand your attention. There is so much crammed into every frame of the film you have to see it multiple times before you can truly appreciate everything the film has to offer. It really is a visual masterpiece in every respect.
Michael Bacall's script is filled with a plethora of quotable quips that will stick in your head. There are so many, in fact, that it is quite easy to miss a lot of the great dialogue the first time you see it. The movie moves at the speed of light, and it must, in order to fit in everything that it has. I've seen ""Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"" four times now, and each time my appreciation has deepened. Each time I've found new jokes, pop culture allusions and references, hidden details and missed lines. And that's what really comes to define cult classics: They have to hold up to repeat viewings. With ""Scott Pilgrim,"" there's so much jam-packed in there that you are bound to find something new with each successive screening. It may be indescribable and you may not know exactly what hits you, but I think you'll love it all the same.
I know everyone is sick of Michael Cera. He should quit type-casting himself and prove he has acting ability beyond playing slight variations of himself. But until he does, please don't write off ""Scott Pilgrim"" just because his mug graces the cover. Even if you think Cera can't play anything other than a socially awkward adolescent, that's ok, because that's what he needs to play in ""Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."" And it's such a tremendous film that there's enough there for even the Michael Cera detractors to love.
Frankly, at this point, as a film fan, I would be worried if ""Scott Pilgrim"" doesn't find success in its home video release. ""Scott Pilgrim"" was one of the most creative, imaginative and unique films I have seen in years. And if a film like ""Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"" can't make money anymore, what hope is there for the future? Are we destined for a world of bland, unoriginal movies that are just amalgamations of the 20 genre movies that came before?
This Friday and Saturday night, WUD Film is showing midnight screenings of ""Scott Pilgrim vs. the World"" in the Memorial Union Play Circle Theater. If you haven't seen it, go check it out. And if you've already seen it, bring your friends. If I'm wrong, you can definitively write off Michael Cera as the worst thing to happen to cinema since someone paid Uwe Boll to make a film. But if I'm right, you just might find one of your new favorite flicks.
Don't need to see ""Scott Pilgrim"" to know Michael Cera has no talent? Let David know at dcottrell@wisc.edu.
