Inventive visuals and mordant wit bring freshness to "Submarine", a classic coming-of-age story. British schoolboy and social misfit Oliver (Craig Roberts) dreams of grandiose adolescent love with Jordana (Yasmin Paige), a mean girl with tendencies towards pyromania. But as Oliver finds romantic success, he's shocked to discover that his mother (Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky") might be having an affair with a sleazy old beau (Paddy Considine, "The Bourne Ultimatum")--and Oliver fears that his father (Noah Taylor, "Shine") is too passive to do anything about it. Fantasies of easy happiness collide with the difficult choices of reality; "Submarine" navigates both sides of Oliver's life with comic ingenuity. First-time feature director Richard Ayoade (best known as Moss on "The IT Crowd") reveals unexpected skill. "Submarine" leaps back and forth, its story unfolding in jittering skips and bobs without ever becoming confusing or losing its emotional thread. Hawkins, Considine, and Taylor provide experienced support for Roberts, who fuses both angst and humor into a seamless, convincing performance. "--Bret Fetzer"