Cinetopia

If there’s one young actor of recent years who has made a career out of being typecast, it’s Michael Cera. His blend of indie rock earnestness and nave teenage awkwardness is honed to a fine edge, and yet he continues to make entertaining, thought-provoking movies. In his most recent film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, he plays a young bass guitarist who meets his mysterious dream girl and learns that to be with her, he must defeat her seven evil exes. The film is scheduled for wide release on August 13.Cera seems to work best in casts with such large ensembles. He got his first big break in 2003 with Arrested Development after voice acting in shows like Rolie Polie Olie, The Berenstain Bears, and Braceface. Alongside Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, the quirky sitcom about a family patriarch sent to jail for embezzlement quickly evolved into one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the decade.However, Cera may also win our hearts because he just seems like a good kid. In his first two movies following Arrested (Superbad and Juno), Cera brings across a unique but wholesome image. Whether singing to a group of drunk party-goers in Superbad or jogging in his tight-fitting track uniform in Juno, Cera brings his awkwardness past the point of pitiable to an almost new kind of cool.Cera’s next big role was in the 2008 Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, where he also played a bassist. The film is based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Cera seems to have a knack for picking interesting adaptations. His 2009 film Youth in Revolt was based on a novel by C.D. Payne, and Scott Pilgrim is based on a series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Whatever the reason, Cera’s success has been steady and worth watching, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.