Jerry Says ‘Adventureland’ is Well Worth the Price of Admission

OK, sorry for that terrible title of this post but the film’s title and setting open it up to some really bad puns. I will try not to make any more as we take a ride to Adventureland in this review. Sorry.

On Tuesday I posted this recap of the tweetup Miramax held for bloggers in NYC to see Adventureland and meet Greg Mottola and Margarita Levieva. Apparently Miramax seemed to like what I wrote, calling it funny, poignant and well written. Actually those are just terms I thought up when thinking about Adventureland. Miramax just thanked me for the recap and told me that I was wrong about the embargo. There actually isn’t one. I probably should have realized that when Scott wasn’t asked to take down his review from SXSW. So without further ado, here is my review†¦

I have been looking forward to seeing Adventureland since I first heard about it when reading press for Superbad. Most people who know me know that Superbad is one of my all time favorite films. It is a perfect character study that nails the elements of true friendship and brilliantly blends elements of fictional teen fantasy with a realistic high school experience. I was lucky enough to have the chance to tell Greg Mottola how greatly influenced I was by Superbad. I stayed up all night on August 17th 2007 thinking about the film and some of my own film ideas. Actually, that was the night Stuck Like Chuck was born, albeit with the much crappier title Andy and Julie Spend the Night Together. As you can imagine, there is a special place in my heart for Superbad. If you think that will make my review a little biased, you are sorely mistaken. Adventureland is not Superbad Does the 80’s.

In fact, when the film first started, I was a little taken aback. There were some jokes but the humor was not rapid fire. They were talking about sex but it was not overly vulgar. Brennan is a virgin but it’s by choice. I started to realize that this was not even the same style as Superbad. I threw away all my expectations and started to appreciate the film for what it is; a mature superbly written coming of age story with brilliant but flawed characters and a nice amount of subtle humor strewn throughout.

Adventureland was written and directed by Greg Mottola and is based on his own personal experience spending a summer working at a local amusement park. In the film, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) takes a summer job working at Adventureland when he finds out his dad has been demoted and he can no longer afford to go to Europe with his friends for the summer. He may not even be able to afford to go to Columbia for grad school in the fall. While “doing the work of pathetic lazy morons,† he falls for Em (Kristen Stewart), becomes friends with Joel (Martin Starr), scores a date with Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva) and takes some advice from Conell (Ryan Reynolds).

By the end of the screening, I realized that I had not taken a single note. In fact, the notepad that was in my hand at the start of the film was resting on the seat next to me once the lights came up. I’m not sure if I put it down due to laziness or because I was drawn into the film, but I will say the latter because it makes the film and myself look better.

The writing is sharp and perfectly captures what it’s like to be stuck at a summer job. I should know, I’ve been stuck at mine for 5 years. Although my “summer job† became a year round part time position at a library, the idea of terrible patrons and things constantly breaking down definitely resonates with me. Unfortunately, my bosses are not at all like Bobby and Paulette, who are played perfectly by Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. I wish Bill Hader was my boss. He provides some of the funniest moments in the film and Kristen’s soft-spoken Paulette makes for some hilarious low-key moments. There is one moment of utter brilliance when they are making some of the prizes for the games and Paulette’s solution for a lack of resources is priceless. Another great source of laughs is the pipe-smoking Russian-literature reading Joel. Martin Starr spouts some very funny lines and some choice nuggets of wisdom. He is also great at making fun of himself for some good laughs. Joel has a lot on his mind that he usually tells Brennan but he seems to also have some hidden feelings. And despite not liking his job, there is definitely a sense that he feels comfortable working there.

One actor that really surprised me was Ryan Reynolds. I’ve always been a big fan of him, going all the way back to Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place. He is usually the comic relief but he is also a very good dramatic actor. I thought he was great in Finder’s Fee and Smokin’ Aces, which both had him in more dramatic roles then what he usually plays. In this, his role is very different but he somehow gets you to relate and even feel sorry for Conner despite the fact he is cheating on his wife. For most, on paper the role of Conner could have gone two ways. First, he could have been the fun loving party animal who sleeps around with girls at the park for sport and doesn’t care about anyone except himself. Or he could have been a sleazy a-hole who doesn’t care about anyone except himself and sleeps around with girls at the park for sport. Instead, Mottola crafted a real person and Reynolds brings a great depth and humanity to him. He is funny at times but he also has a lot of personal problems and mixed emotions. It is almost as if he is Van Wilder a few years after college, stuck in a loveless marriage and drained of his sarcastic wit and party vibe. I am actually interested enough in this character that I would be more than willing to watch a spin-off film in which he was the lead.

On the other end of the character spectrum, a slightly more stereotypical offering is Lisa P. who is the embodiment of male adolescent fantasy in the 80’s. In fact, upon her arrival into Adventureland (both the park and the film) the character Munch comes running in before her proclaiming, “Lisa P is back!† to all the male employees. Margarita Levieva plays Lisa P with a certain daftness that fits the flirty stereotype but she also has a sincerity that makes her different and much more likeable than the usual bitchy stock character. At one point during her date with Brennan, Lisa P tells him that he is not like most guys she dates. We get the feeling she may actually like him but we know they are not right for each other. She shouldn’t worry though because she has the look, clothes and dance moves to land anyone else in the park.

The fact that I spent several paragraphs talking about the supporting characters first shows how strong the writing and acting is. It also shows that I don’t know how to properly structure a review. Our protagonist, Brennan, is an intelligent, caring, occasionally awkward college graduate who believes strongly in love and chooses to be a virgin despite several opportunities. I definitely see myself in Brennan and found myself rooting for the hopeless romantic the whole time. And who is the girl that he woos with his bag of pot and awkward attempts at conversation? The lovely Kristen Stewart who does a great job in the role of Em. She is not really sure what she wants but she is a genuinely good person. Just like the supporting characters I mentioned, neither Em nor Brennan are cookie cutter stereotypes but instead are real people that you actually care about.

In addition to the fantastic script and stellar acting, Greg Mottola’s direction is top notch and the cinematography is beautiful. There are some truly amazing shots in the film and some wonderful use of lighting. The location of the Kennywood amusement park was perfect and reminded me of an old run down park I once went to as a kid. The rides look pleasantly unsafe and the games are impossible to win. There is also the constant blasting of “Rock Me Amadeus† through the speakers so that guests can further enjoy their visit at Adventureland. Actually, the music in the film is fantastic. It has an awesomely 80’s soundtrack featuring Lou Reed, David Bowie, INXS, and The Cure to name a few.

I would never want to ruin the end of a movie but I would like to make a comment about this film’s ending. I will keep this spoiler free but you may still want to skip the rest of this paragraph and come back after you have seen the film. It’s OK, you won’t hurt my feelings. Last chance. Ok good. So without giving away too much, I want to say that I was at first a little disappointed with the ending. It wasn’t exactly two characters kissing in the rain and saying they love each other, but at first it did feel like a slightly less generic studio ending. It fit the film and wasn’t too typical but I thought it would end in a more unique manner. Then while thinking about the film, it hit me how great the ending actually is. You see, there is a thing called subtext that Hollywood often does not allow in their films. It basically means that a scene can have layers and different meanings can arise from the multiple levels. When thinking of the characters and what we actually see at the end, I realized there was a certain ambiguity to the conclusion that I really loved. Perhaps I am reading too much into it.

And that’s why I can’t believe she died. Sorry, had to mess with you. There isn’t even a little death at the end of the film. (wink, wink). Everyone needs to know this about the end though, stay during the credits. Towards the end of them there is a very funny commercial for Adventureland that plays.

There is much more that can be said about this film but I’m just going to leave off with this†¦

Adventureland is a perfect 80’s love song for the underpaid and overqualified. It is funny, heartfelt and perfectly awkward. John Hughes, eat your heart out.

‘Adventureland’ [R] opens April 3rd in theaters everywhere.

5 out of 5 Corn Dogs

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com