Adventureland

Adventureland (2009) is a hilarious and poignant coming of age comedy from Judd Apatow disciple Greg Mottola, who hit it big with 2007's raunchy teen comedy Superbad. It's not surprising, then, that echoes of Superbad can be seen in Adventureland, including an uncharacteristically subdued performance by SNL favorite Bill Hader, and Jesse Eisenberg in the lead male role, channeling Superbad's Michael Cera for all he's worth. That's not to say that Adventureland is just some cheap Superbad spin-off. Oh no, far from it. This film has a life of it's own, deftly mixing influences from '80s cinema, Zach Braff's Garden State, and the heavy and ominous spectre of Lou Reed and his own personal NYC.

The film, set in 1987, follows James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg), a recent college grad looking forward to a summer in Europe before grad school at Columbia in New York. But when his parents' financial situation changes, James must stay home in Pittsburgh, earning money as a carnie at Adventureland, the local amusement park. Soon enough, James is caught up in a complicated love rectangle, torn between shallow but fun Lisa (Margarita Levieva) and the beautiful and troubled Em (Kristen Stewart). Problem is, Em is already having a rocky affair with a married man, Adventureland's super-cool maintenance man, Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds). All this plays against the background of summer hijinks at the park, drugs, parties, and an amazing soundtrack featuring Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground alongside some classic '80s tunes.

Adventureland is a great movie. The emotional and existential power is just about equal to Garden State, with the comic timing and sharp writing that we've come to expect from the Apatow school of film. As I've said, the soundtrack is phenomenal, and it's bolstered by a subtle score from Yo La Tengo, a great band who has always (intentionally) dwelt in the shadow of The Velvet Underground. The performances are mostly solid all around, although it's difficult to shake the spectre of Michael Cera when watching Eisenberg on the screen. Props to Ryan Reynolds for playing a dick that is somehow still likeable, and to Bill Hader, who was absolutely the perfect choice for Adventureland's owner/operator.

My one big beef with this film is Kristen Stewart. Her acting style just bugs the shit out of me. Whenever there's a close-up on her, her eyes start darting around like she doesn't know where to look or like she's looking at the camera over someone's shoulder. It's fairly distracting. And she plays every scene in a pained manner. Even scenes that don't require her to be all angsty. She nevertheless looks like she's being put upon to do some acting and basically like she'd rather be doing anything but acting in that scene right now. It's too bad, because she seems to have some talent. I hope she grows into it soon.

Storyline & plot: 7/10
Cinematography & effects: 7/10
Music & mood: 10/10
Performances: 8/10

The Reverend says: 8/10