Shed a Light on Love
Which Mottola definitely did, after his box office hit “Superbad”, Mottola returned with his own script which strived to be an entertaining, funny, wanderlust and heartfelt film about a recent college graduate, who due to some bad luck, is forced to take a shitty summer job at a themepark; Adventureland.
The film starts out slow, and many of the scenes featured in the trailer are right there at the beginning of the movie, you get a general sense f who the characters are and why the main, James, must take this terrible job. The script is often sharp and funny, and the characters are believable even though most of them are very two-dimensional.
For the most of the film, it goes from being funny to very funny, thanks to the in-between antics of Bill Hader and Kristin Wigg, who steal the show once they get on-screen. The rest of the cast is very serious and emotional (with exception of Matt Bush’s nutsack-punching Frigo). The tightrope between drama and comedy is a difficult thing to perform and many of this movie’s drama scenes come across very forced. While Mottola and Eisenberg show the awkwardness of the main character to an almost great effect. Eisenberg is right at home with this kind of character, he also managed to direct the entire cast in giving realistic performances.
From the directing, to cinematography and even the editing, it all comes together as a well-made film. As with all films, it’s the acting that ties the whole thing together in the end. Kristen Stewart gives the best performance of all, balancing humor, sadness and anxiety well, easily creating the deepest character in the film. Jesse Eisenberg gives a strong performance and made me forget he was actually ‘acting’. The rest of the cast do a good job too, making the entire film feeling very realistic.
Yet the movie can’t escape the fact that it’s a fantasy. For a guy, who’s still a virgin and has so much trouble with relationships, awkwardlytalking about classic novels and exes on dates, he’s instantly involved with two beautiful girls who are obviously outside of his reach. His character does experience conflict, yes, there’s plenty, but everything works out just fine in the end. In terms of the plot it’s a predictable movie and it goes the route pretty much all the other take too. He doesn’t exactly get what he wanted in the beginning, but surprise suprirse, at the end of the summer he finds what he really wanted (but didn’t know) all along.
It is through what should've been the worst summer of his life that he finds the path his life is going to take.
Adventureland manages to be a funny, entertaining but shallow film, that has you laughing and feeling for it’s characters, and at the same time has you wondering about all of the film’s missed opportunities to be anything but.. forgettable.
5,7/10
Great movie, unfortunately some idiot thought it would be smart to market it as a Superbad type movie, which it isn't at all, so people were disappointed when they saw it. It's far better on the second or third viewing than on the first so don't write it off after watching it once. And to the people who think that Kristen Stewart isn't a good actress, having subtle facial expressions is not a bad thing, she does an incredible job in this movie (and others like the Runaways and Into the Wild). Eisenberg is a shitty actor but he's bearable in this one. It also has one of the greatest soundtracks ever.
Not sure why in the late 00s people thought of Jesse Eisenberg as a romantic lead... He's not bad and it's not that it's just reserved for the Ryan Reynold types, but I have a hard time buying him creating a romantic connection
A legitimately beautiful, haunting film. Kristen Stewart is incredible.
A whole 107 minutes I was wondering where I was looking at. Storyline is, in my opinion, crappy with no clue about what is going to happen and why it is happening. Thumbs down for me.
It's an okay movie, but Kristen Stewarts acting - or lack thereof - may work for a bit here, but it's getting old fast.
The indie comedy Adventureland is a satirical coming-of-age film from writer/director Greg Mottola. The story follows a young college student named James Brennan who takes a job at an amusement park during the summer of 1987 in order to pay for his tuition. Featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, and Margarita Levieva, the cast is fairly strong and delivers some pretty good performances. The writing however, is a little weak and seems a bit unfocused, unsure of what it’s trying to say. On the other hand, the soundtrack is remarkably effective at setting a tone and at providing a feel for the characters and settings. Adventureland has some interesting things to say about postmodern youth culture, but it has trouble bringing everything together in a cohesive manner.
It's sweet, funny with a killer ost I don't get the hate
This was a rare gem - a sweet, funny comedy about some kids trapped between childhood and adulthood. I was shocked at how good this film was. It is sad that films like this get passed over by the likes of Napoleon Dynamite and Knocked Up.
https://IHateBadMovies.com
Liked it better than I thought I would. But really not one of my favourite. Just kind of an awkward movie.
Good "coming of age" drama/comedy.
The soundtrack of this movie is simply perfect.
Nice. Not fabulous, but nice.
This is my first time watching it, i hope i like it .
This is my favorite movie of 2009. Watch it!
Review by SkinnyFilmBuffVIP 8BlockedParent2022-02-11T18:14:39Z
Coming-of-age is an interesting genre, as it often attempts a delicate balancing act of drama, comedy, and romance. This film certainly fits that description. In this case, the comedy is probably the strongest element, though it arrives primarily via the veteran supporting cast rather than the leads. Martin Starr, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig are all hilarious, often times performing what amounts to stand alone sketch comedy throughout the film (the unrefrigerated corn dog bit was a highlight). Additionally, the film gets plenty of comedic mileage out of the budget amusement park setting.
The romance and drama elements of the film are very intertwined. Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart share plenty of cute scenes, and I think they work well together as a somewhat awkward, unconventional pairing (the fact that they later starred together in American Ultra suggests that they may enjoy working together and have some natural chemistry, which is always nice to see). The dramatic elements to the romantic story are a little bit tougher to pull off. Unlike your typical rom-com, this film's romantic conflict doesn't come from some benign misunderstanding or "will-they won't-they" element, but rather incorporates some more serious drama. While these elements are perfectly serviceable, they didn't quite mesh with the rest of the story for me. This really stood out toward the end of the film, as it took some predictable turns, weaving toward a cliché finale. It also felt somewhat rushed and unearned, as the dramatic fallout of characters' bad decisions was relatively short-lived, being quickly swept aside to make way for an optimistic conclusion.
As a side note, I always find it interesting when plot threads are seemingly left hanging. In this case, the lack of resolution, or even acknowledgement of Mr. Brennan's presumed alcohol problem definitely stood out. Makes me wonder if there was ever the thought to add something more there, or if it was always going to be a silent acknowledgement.