Greg Mottola's Adventureland, Movie Review
Introspective and melancholic, Superbad has grown up
Jul 15, 2009
Adventureland is an aptly titled film about the scary and often brutal journey from youth to adulthood. The setting for this film is the eighties and this feels authentic as it is generally understated. The movie is about college graduate James, played by Jesse Eisenburg, who discovers that his parents no longer have the funds to pay for his European summer holiday. This is not the least of his problems as his parents cannot pay for graduate school either. To pay for these expenses James takes on a summer job at the local carnival cum theme park called Adventureland.
Experiencing the 'adult' world
This is a dead end job but the other employees are depicted with care. They are not simply the foil for Jesse Eisenburg's character, played like a Michael Cera (Superbad, Arrested Development) caricature, but are three dimensional people in their own way. Each has a life and a back story that is explored well. This is particularly useful as these character's histories are important in making their relationship with James work. This is best shown with the sad and sombre turn the film takes as time pushes these friendships onwards and further from each other as the character's grow up and into the 'real' world. There is brilliant chemistry between the entire cast, especially watch out for the depiction of Em (Kristen Stewart) and Mike Connell’s (Ryan Reynolds) sad love affair. With this Mottola explores the idea of growing up too fast.
The decade of the director's teens
Right from the start the film feels melancholy, although, due to the protagonist’s self pity, it feels mildly superficial. This is fixed by the introduction of love interest Em, played by Kristen Stewart, a slightly battered and lonely character who is drawn to Eisenberg. This is a well scripted and cautiously directed relationship, keep an eye out for the fantastic scene that unfolds during a car trip with Em driving and James in the passenger seat. Pale Blue Eyes by The Velvet Underground is playing and it creates an incredibly bittersweet moment, one filled with introspection and sadness. The chemistry between these two actors is perfect and utterly convincing. Interestingly the theme of bitterness and nostalgia for this time of youthfulness is mostly down to the harsh and slightly frightened dialogue from kids facing adulthood. This is all told with a degree of reminiscing due to Mottola's almost autobiographical script, and the eighties setting, the decade of his teens.
This is a must see film with an incredible soundtrack. The audience is divided between adults nostalgic for their own teen years and a younger audience nostalgic for a time that for them is almost gone; their childhood. Adventureland, in a style similar to Linklater's Dazed and Confused has cleverly melded adult concerns and worries with the youthful pursuit of love.
Introspective and melancholic, Superbad has grown up
This is an amusing film and one that is poignant and touching. It contains the standard format for a teen comedy but allows for a slightly darker and more adult thematic backdrop. The characters are all played well and even the 'bad' characters are not truly bad but simply human with all the wrong decisions that come with that.
