Kieran Culkin Is the Best Part of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

The Big Picture

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has an authentic portrayal of adolescent relationships.
Wallace, played by Kieran Culkin, is the best character in the film.
Culkin's role as Wallace provides a mature and humorous balance to Scott's character.

While all of Edgar Wright’s films have earned strong appreciation from genre fans, his 2010 comic book adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World found an affinity among younger viewers. The rest of Wright’s filmography served as parodies of previously existing genres; Shaun of the Dead was a riff on George Romero’s zombie movies, Hot Fuzz was a tribute to classic buddy cop action films, and The World’s End was Wright’s version of a “disaster epic.” However, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World felt like a fresh blend of video game inspired visuals, 1980s music, and pop culture references, all of which appealed to a younger audience. Despite how goofy the film could get at times, Wright latched on to an authenticity in the way that he depicted adolescent relationships. While it’s obviously the love story between Scott (Michael Cera) and Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) that is at the center of the story, Scott is lucky to have a roommate like Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin). He may not give the flashiest of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’s performances, but Culkin is actually the film’s best character.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

PG-13ActionComedyFantasy

In a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.

Release Date August 13, 2010 Director Edgar Wright Cast Michael Cera , Mary Elizabeth Winstead , Kieran Culkin , Anna Kendrick , Alison Pill , Aubrey Plaza , Ellen Wong Runtime 112 minutes

Wallace Gives Scott the Advice He Needs To Hear in 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

Wallace is just Scott’s best friend; he’s the only real friend that he has outside of his band Sex-Bob-Omb. While Scott’s bandmates are all intelligent, charming people, they worship his every word like he is a god. This leads Scott to have supersized expectations about how people conceive him. It sure would be nice if everyone appreciated Scott’s musical abilities as much as Stephen Stills (Mark Webber), Kim Pine (Alison Pill) and Young Neil (Johnny Simmons) do, but as he learns after spending time outside the band, not everyone does. Wallace offers Scott a bit of frank advice on what his life is actually like; he’s not a superstar, he’s not a hero, and he’s certainly not a romantic. Scott is coasting off of the acclaim that his great music has earned him. However, Wallace is able to give Scott healthy expectations about what he should look for in real relationships.

Wallace is also Scott’s roommate, and is privy to some of his secrets. Wallace is the first person in Scott’s life to note that dating the teenager Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) is bad news. Wallace knows that Knives is far too young for Scott, and will quickly try to take their relationship to the next level. Stephen and Neil can’t help but applaud Scott’s ability to woo Knives, but Wallace sees things more clearly. While Scott can’t help but obsess over Knives, Wallace explains eloquently that she lacks emotional maturity, and soon will take over his life. If only Scott had listened to Wallace! Knives’ bitter anger towards Scott when he falls in love with Ramona could have been avoided if Scott had heeded his roommate’s advice. Knives eventually forgives Scott, but it's only after he makes the revelations about how he treated her that Wallace had been reminding him of the whole time. This emotional frankness is unique within Wright’s filmography.

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"We are Sex Bob-Omb, and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff."

Wallace ends up getting warped into Scott’s adventures; he seems to understand Scott better than anyone else. While Scott’s sister, Stacey (Anna Kendrick), can’t help but nag him about his various grievances, Wallace is able to put up with him. Wallace has known Scott so long that he can tell what things are actually important in his life — it's Wallace who encourages Scott to battle Ramona’s evil exes in the first place. Even when it appears that Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman) is too powerful for Scott to handle, Wallace recognizes that he will live the rest of his life in regret if he doesn’t at least try to make his relationship with Ramona work. Wallace understands that while Scott isn’t a perfect guy by any stretch of the imagination, Gideon is downright evil.

Wallace Wells Is One of Kieran Culkin’s Best Roles

What’s most impressive about the role of Wallace is how different the character is from the other performances that Culkin has given. Wallace may have the same snarkiness that Roman Roy does on Succession, but he’s much more mature and open to others' perspectives. Wallace’s perspective is particularly important, considering that Scott isn’t always a likable character. Scott has to learn over the course of the film to treat others with respect; he often ignores the genuine affection that Stacey, Knives, and Kim show for him. Scott only ends up with Ramona because he has gone through a period of self-reflection, and Wallace is more keen to call him out than anyone else. Wallace lambastes Scott for his ignorance, yet gives him the opportunity to improve himself. Wallace understands that Scott is simply ignorant, and didn’t intend to hurt people; while some roommates may have abandoned Scott entirely, Wallace gives him a plan on how to fix his life.

In addition to making Scott more likable, Wallace also adds a different sense of humor to the story. Many of the main villains in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, such as Chris Evans’ Lucas Lee and Brandan Routh’s Todd Ingram, are so over-the-top that they risk making the film less emotionally authentic. There’s nothing wrong with including these characters if the film’s perspective is balanced, and thanks to Wallace, it is. Wallace adds a snarky sense of humor, as he often acknowledges how ridiculous the film’s premise actually is. His dry comedy is a breath of fresh air compared to how exaggerated everything else is. Additionally, there’s a fun subplot involving Wallace sleeping with Stacy’s boyfriends that gets funnier each time.

Ironically, Culkin’s breakthrough role was in 2002’s Igby Goes Down, where he played a confused young man dealing with his feelings that isn’t dissimilar from Scott. Culkin has grown a lot as an actor since then, and his Scott Pilgrim vs. the World performance shouldn’t be dismissed as simply a cameo. He plays a well-realized source of comic relief, but doesn’t treat the role as a joke. The film has a lot of wild, memorable performances, but Wallace is the glue that keeps them all together.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is available to watch on Max in the U.S.

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