Mickey's Rebellion: A kid-sized protest against the world

If you're into dusty, black-and-white curiosities that actually have a bit of spit and vinegar, Mickey's Rebellion is worth a look. It’s definitely for the folks who get a kick out of seeing a young Mickey Rooney before he became a household name. If you prefer your pacing to be snappy and your scripts to feel like they were written on a lunch break, you'll probably get a kick out of this. If you need high-definition polish or a plot that makes perfect sense, skip it.

The whole thing feels like a neighborhood scrap. It moves fast, sometimes too fast, and doesn't bother explaining half the motivations behind the kids' little war. There’s a scene where they’re plotting in a shed that lingers just long enough for you to notice how poorly lit the corners are, but honestly, it makes it feel more real.

Watching Mickey Rooney here is something else. He’s already got that hyperactive, slightly chaotic energy that defined his later work. He’s everywhere at once. It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing I noticed when I sat down to rewatch No Parking recently. Both films share that same desperate need to get to the next gag before the audience loses interest.

There's a moment involving a barricade—or what passes for one—that made me laugh out loud. It looks like they just threw whatever trash they found in a nearby alleyway into a pile and called it a day. It’s perfectly imperfect. You can almost see the director shrugging his shoulders behind the camera, just happy they got the shot before the sun went down.

Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it better than the bloated, stuffy dramas of the same decade? Absolutely. It’s got a messy, kinetic pulse that feels like a kid who just drank too much soda. Sometimes, that’s all you need from a movie. 🍿

If you're a completist for Rooney's early days, you're going to watch it anyway. Just don't expect it to change your life. It’s just a nice little slice of trouble-making.