2009Comedy/Drama
Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart
Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart
Before we go any further I just want to cut to the chase and say I freaking loved this movie. I haven't seen a movie I liked this much in a very long time, basically since I first saw Say Anything, and will probably have to wait a long time for it to happen again. I am giving it 5 ouf of 5 stars. I will try to explain why I liked it so much, but it will be hard, because if you are not me, you probably won't like it as much.
Jesse Eisenberg plays James who in order to make money for grad school is forced to work at the local amusement park, Adventureland. While there he begins to make new friends and connections and begins to form a relationship with Kristen Stewart's character Em. There is more to it to that (Em has a secret she is keeping from James, etc.) but that is all you really need to know.
The main reason I loved this movie so much is because of how much I connected with the main character. He thinks about stuff the way I think about stuff, he reacts how I would reacts. There are situations where he handles things almost exactly how I would handle them. Like when Em is coming onto him and he tries to play it cool but still comes off awkward and slightly out of place. Scenes like that rang so true. It is nice to see a "coming of age movie" where the character is technically an adult and not concerned with high school cliches like prom or getting into college. James is a virgin and much more interested in finding love and an emotional connection than he is in just getting laid. This type of male character is almost always ignored in favor of the "just trying to get some" mantra from other movies (American Pie).
I have never really seen a movie with Kristen Stewart in it so it was a nice suprise that she was so good in this role. I started to fall in love her just the way James did, and much the same way I did with the love interests in ...Say Anything and Garden State.
This is the second movied directed by Greg Mottola. The other movie is Superbad, which is my all time favorite movie. So he has directed 2 movies so far, and I love both of them. There is nothing impressive or fancy in his directing but he knows how to inject genuine feeling into all scenese. Out of nowhere he has become of my favorite directors. I just hope he keep directing the same kind of movies, because he does it so well. Unlike with Superbad, he also wrote Adventureland based on experiences from his own life. When it first came out people criticized it because it was advertised as a comedy, but wasn't as overall funny as Superbad. I agree that it is not as funny as Superbad, but it still has plenty of laughs. Scenese like when James and Em discuss their history with "intercourse" are hilarious both for their awkwardness and their truth. Martin Starr (of Freaks and Geeks, and Knocked Up) is one of the main sources of comedy. He manages to funny while at the same time being realistic and sympathetic. There is another character, Frigo, who exists solely for comedic relief and that is okay because it does not distract from the realism of the movie at all. Because some people have friends who always hit you in the junk because they think it's funny. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are funny in small roles as the managers of Adventureland. They have some funny lines, Bill has an awesome mustache and Kristen somehow manages to not annoy me as normal.
I even liked the soundtrack of this movie. Which is impressive considering I don't really like the kind of music featured in it, which is basically mid 80s indie rock. Yet here I am a day later listening to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground songs from the soundtrack. This movie is set in the late 80s and the music does the best job of capturing that mood without relating to overdone "in the 80s they did this stupid thing" jokes movies like The Wedding Singer were based around. Many of the characters wear stereotypical 80s clothing but they don't look stupid. They just look like they lived in the 80s, which they are.
I could keep rambling on about this movie, adding more stuff to this post, but I think I will stop now. Just rent it already to discover everything it has to offer. I, as already previously stated, loved Adventureland. After only watching it once I know I will consider it a favorite for a long time to come. It captured the essence of Say Anything, presenting what it is like to be nice guy looking to fall in love and wondering how to explore life. Others probably won't enjoy it as much as me, and that is okay.
Excuse me, for I am now off to find an Adventureland "Games" t shirt to purchase.
5 Out Of 5 Stars
Jesse Eisenberg plays James who in order to make money for grad school is forced to work at the local amusement park, Adventureland. While there he begins to make new friends and connections and begins to form a relationship with Kristen Stewart's character Em. There is more to it to that (Em has a secret she is keeping from James, etc.) but that is all you really need to know.
The main reason I loved this movie so much is because of how much I connected with the main character. He thinks about stuff the way I think about stuff, he reacts how I would reacts. There are situations where he handles things almost exactly how I would handle them. Like when Em is coming onto him and he tries to play it cool but still comes off awkward and slightly out of place. Scenes like that rang so true. It is nice to see a "coming of age movie" where the character is technically an adult and not concerned with high school cliches like prom or getting into college. James is a virgin and much more interested in finding love and an emotional connection than he is in just getting laid. This type of male character is almost always ignored in favor of the "just trying to get some" mantra from other movies (American Pie).
I have never really seen a movie with Kristen Stewart in it so it was a nice suprise that she was so good in this role. I started to fall in love her just the way James did, and much the same way I did with the love interests in ...Say Anything and Garden State.
This is the second movied directed by Greg Mottola. The other movie is Superbad, which is my all time favorite movie. So he has directed 2 movies so far, and I love both of them. There is nothing impressive or fancy in his directing but he knows how to inject genuine feeling into all scenese. Out of nowhere he has become of my favorite directors. I just hope he keep directing the same kind of movies, because he does it so well. Unlike with Superbad, he also wrote Adventureland based on experiences from his own life. When it first came out people criticized it because it was advertised as a comedy, but wasn't as overall funny as Superbad. I agree that it is not as funny as Superbad, but it still has plenty of laughs. Scenese like when James and Em discuss their history with "intercourse" are hilarious both for their awkwardness and their truth. Martin Starr (of Freaks and Geeks, and Knocked Up) is one of the main sources of comedy. He manages to funny while at the same time being realistic and sympathetic. There is another character, Frigo, who exists solely for comedic relief and that is okay because it does not distract from the realism of the movie at all. Because some people have friends who always hit you in the junk because they think it's funny. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig are funny in small roles as the managers of Adventureland. They have some funny lines, Bill has an awesome mustache and Kristen somehow manages to not annoy me as normal.
I even liked the soundtrack of this movie. Which is impressive considering I don't really like the kind of music featured in it, which is basically mid 80s indie rock. Yet here I am a day later listening to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground songs from the soundtrack. This movie is set in the late 80s and the music does the best job of capturing that mood without relating to overdone "in the 80s they did this stupid thing" jokes movies like The Wedding Singer were based around. Many of the characters wear stereotypical 80s clothing but they don't look stupid. They just look like they lived in the 80s, which they are.
I could keep rambling on about this movie, adding more stuff to this post, but I think I will stop now. Just rent it already to discover everything it has to offer. I, as already previously stated, loved Adventureland. After only watching it once I know I will consider it a favorite for a long time to come. It captured the essence of Say Anything, presenting what it is like to be nice guy looking to fall in love and wondering how to explore life. Others probably won't enjoy it as much as me, and that is okay.
Excuse me, for I am now off to find an Adventureland "Games" t shirt to purchase.
5 Out Of 5 Stars
i loved this movie too! I agree with you that Kristen Stewart wasn't as annoying as she usuallty is too!
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