Adventureland - A Quiet But Charming Comedy

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Director Greg Mottola is in an unenviable position. On his most recent outing, he knocked it out of the park with Superbad; arguably the best teen comedy of the last twenty years. So all eyes are on him as returns to theaters with Adventureland .  

Set in the summer of 1987, Jesse Eisenberg stars as James Brennan, a recent college grad who finds himself aimlessly adrift after summer plans fall through. Discovering that his degree doesn’t actually provide him with any "real world" skills, he’s takes a job of last resort at Adventureland, a rundown amusement park. The employees spend their time as most people with summer jobs do: paying minimal attention to customers, goofing off, drinking and hanging out. James quickly forms a friendship with Em (Kristen Stewart) after she saves him from a potentially violent customer.

James and Em’s relationship is complex. James is painfully shy with women and Em is a little more "worldly" than James is used to. He is fresh off a relationship he clearly believed to be more serious than it actually was. Whereas Em is embroiled in complicated situation with Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds), the park’s maintenance man. Mike is the "cool guy" that the younger workers haven’t quite yet figured out is too old to be in his current circumstances and still be deemed "cool".

The movie lives or dies with Eisenberg’s performance. It’s hard not to draw allusions to Michael Cera. They have a similar look and both are working the shy, sensitive angle. And, with Eisenberg’s thin frame and floppy hair, it can be a bit off-putting at first. But, even though Cera would clearly excel in the role, Eisenberg gives it a life all its own. He quickly establishes that, similarities be damned, he’s not a "poor man’s Michael Cera".

Kristen Stewart, as Bella in Twilight, left me cold. Other than being cute, I couldn’t figure out what was special enough about her to warrant so much attention from the undead. But here she is charming as young woman who knows that she is making bad decisions but just can‘t quite right the ship. And even as she makes these decisions, Stewart brings a warmth to the character that still allows us to see why James would fall for her. To often in these sorts of films, characters seem to fall in love because that’s what characters in these sorts of films are supposed to do. But the attraction and affection that James and Em have for each other doesn’t feel perfunctory. Eisenberg and Stewart both blend those feelings with the hopeful yet hesitant caution that often accompanies a new relationship, especially when you’re not quite sure if it even is a relationship.

Mottola even manages to rein in Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as the married managers of the park. Both are Saturday Night Live cast members and I’m sure they gave Mottola plenty of hilarious footage. But he was wise enough to leave most of it on the cutting room floor as it would have undermined the naturalistic tone of the rest of the film. That’s not to say that Hader and Wiig don’t give funny performances. But they never veer into over the top, sketch comedy territory that so many SNL alums can inadvertently bring to a role.

Much of the marketing for the film is based on "From the director of Superbad". That’s a shame. Anyone looking for a retread or Superbad will be sorely disappointed. It’s neither as raunchy nor as funny as Superbad. But it’s not trying to be. It’s a sweet coming of age story set against the backdrop of a mundane summer job. There are certainly funny parts but where Superbad was a bawdy comedy with a hint of sweetness, Adventureland is a sweet comedy with a hint of bawdiness. That’s a subtle but important distinction.

The film is reminiscent of Dazed And Confused. While there is some drug usage, Adventureland is certainly no "stoner comedy". But both films are bittersweet, slice-of-life style reflections on youth. And both deal with groups of young adults that are on drastically different trajectories. It’s the last time most of them will ever interact in any meaningful way with people of varying socioeconomic status. Their soon to be divergent paths are already creating barriers between them, even if they can’t always see it. But this isn’t handled in heavy-handed, "After School Special" sort of way. It’s simply the reality of their lives.

And, like Daze And Confused, the soundtrack is masterful. Mottola perfectly captures the era. There is a perfect blending of the different types of music that permeated the periphery in those days. From the meaningless worn out Top 40 tracks that get played at the park to the hair bands the populated a pre-grunge MTV to the "college rock" that the "cool kids" listened to. It all intertwines perfectly to recreate the sonic structure of the late ‘80s.

Adventureland is a quiet but charming comedy. It’s pacing can be a bit slow in spots. But the performances are spot on and its characters are richly drawn and aptly brought to life by the cast. Add in the pitch-perfect soundtrack and you have a movie that might feel slight while you’re watching it, but will stay with you much longer than you’d expect.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being Dazed And Confused and 1 being 200 Cigarettes, Adventureland gets an 8.

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