Review of Adventureland (2009) by Scott N — 10 Jul 2012

Based on the User Ratings, I'm guessing Adventureland is not what most people probably expected it to be: Superbad 2 with different characters spouting the same profanity and trying to get that summer fling with the chick of their dreams, all set in the slacker haven of a local amusement park. What they got instead was a fairly serious and sometimes painful portrayal of young love, insecurity, maturity, and the realities of life.

Jesse Eisenberg is James, a somewhat sheltered intellectual who just finished his bachelor's degree and is looking forward to a summer trip around Europe with his college buddy before going to Columbia for his master's in journalism. When he gets home to pack, his parents inform him his father has been transferred, and the family financial situation is much more tight. This effectively cancels the trip and forces him to get a job to keep his hope of graduate studies alive. He ends up working at the local skeezy amusement park, and since he's too ashamed to let his old friends know how far he's fallen, he befriends the other workers at the park and spends the summer dealing with a terrible job while growing and learning as a result of his relationships with his coworkers, mostly the romance with Emily (Kristen Stewart).

I was very impressed with the pacing of the first fifteen minutes: the entire film is set up in that relatively short time. It seems most films nowadays take far longer than necessary to introduce the characters and setting, and it was refreshing to just be inserted into the situation instead of having to endure long monologues/back and forth conversations setting everything up. It did end up dragging a bit about 3/4 of the way through, but nothing terribly distracting.

Jesse Eisenberg plays Jesse Eisenberg, though a with a little more confidence at times than he's had in other roles. Ryan Reynolds plays a scummier version of his character from Waiting and Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig fill in some comedy as the owners of the park. Tragically underused and very funny Martin Starr does a great job as Eisenberg's fellow struggling artist and tutor in the ways of the park. Kristen Stewart was the surprise performance for me: she's had the emotional range of cardboard in her lead in Snow White and the Huntsman and the clips I've seen from the Twilight series, but she actually managed to convey even fairly complex emotion in this role. I don't know if it was the relatively low pressure of the gig or if Greg Mottola is just a better director than others she's had, but she's a passable actress here.

I want to show Reynold's character this movie to anyone who needs to see how a bad guy is supposed to be written (the writers of Avatar, Mean Girls, Bridesmaids, and others). It's so easy to write single-dimensional villains, but it adds a lot to both the movie and the character when the bad guy is a real person with self-awareness and even self-loathing who chooses to do bad things anyway. People like him really exist, and he's simply part of the story; as such, there's no need for a sentimental revelation to turn him into a good guy, which is a refreshing decision.

The story itself is fairly solid and relies very little on sitcom-y chances of fate to cause conflict or confusion, relying instead on the combination of the naivete and maliciousness of the characters. The mood is dark at times, but it deals with some very serious concepts (fidelity, first loves, unhappy households, etc.), and some of the characters are in some fairly bleak circumstances. The project as a whole feels far more real than most movies, and those who complain about the whining/negativity/listlessness might do well to reflect a little on their teens and early twenties; most people I know went through a period where they were forced to grow up more quickly than they were expecting, and it's rarely a fun process. An even somewhat honest portrayal of life is rare in media today, partly because real life can be depressing and many people would apparently rather see a overly simplistic and idealized version of reality at the theater.

There is humor, but it's not in slapstick (except one running gag) or cheap shock stuff; self-deprecating/awkward comments and one-liners abound as the characters try to make the best out of their relatively depressing situations. If you're looking for a laugh riot, find another movie, but there were more than enough funny lines/scenes to keep me chuckling. If you're looking for for an entertaining and relatively realistic story about growing up and discovering love in less-than-perfect circumstances, Adventureland should be near the top of your list.