Those viewers who assume that Greg Mottola's "Adventureland" is anything like the current trailer now playing may find themselves sorely disappointed when they arrive at the cinemaplex and discover the movie is not a sequel to the director's last effort, "Superbad."
Oh sure, there are teenage virgin boys, hot young ladies and enough pot to choke Seth Rogen, but this tale of adolescent awakenings and dead-end, post-high school summer jobs is much deeper, more thoughtful and the humor rings truer than your run-of-the-mill contemporary raucous teen comedy.
It's 1987 in Pittsburgh and brainiac James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg, a kind of Andy Samberg-lite, who appeared in "The Squid and the Whale") has been accepted into Columbia University and is planning a trip to Europe as a graduation present. Then, however, his father (character actor Jack Gilpin) is demoted and the funds for the vacation are no longer available.
To make matters worse, the only way to raise money is for James to seek employment at a dumpy, run-down amusement park (hence the title) where the rides are broken, the games are crooked and the employees are either teenagers in between menial positions or adults firmly set on the road to lifelong loserville.
Immediated tagged as a "game guy" (although he'd rather operate the Tilt-A-Whirl) by the park's supervisor, Bob (Bill Hader, "Hot Rod," "SNL"), James tries to work up enough enthusiasm to call lame horse races at his booth. Bob's efforts to infuse some passion into the young man are some of the most funny moments of the picture. James would have gone completely off his rocker had it not been for his co-worker friends, including Joel (Mark Short), local lawyer's daughter, Emily (Kristen Stewart, "The Messengers," "Twilight"), and the demented Frigo (Matt Bush), who shows his affection towards James by constantly punching him in the groin.
Hey, I think we can all relate (with the possible exception of the belt in the testicle thing). My first job after high school was a mid-1980s gig as a cook at Kentucky Fried Chicken (long before they began referring to it as "KFC"). Many an evening - covered in grease and flour - I would dream of dating one of the gorgeous cash register girls (it never happened), with only my buds to help get over the depressing reality.
In the film, James and Em hit it off at a party and sort of begin seeing each other; although she still pines for Brad, the park's maintenance man and musician (Ryan Renyolds) who is married and continues to lie about once jamming with Lou Reed. When he finds out about this, James dates ice cold dancing diva Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva), just for spite.
When he reveals Em and Brad's affair, Lisa spills the news all over the park causing her to quit and James to re-evaluate his feelings for her.
And while it would have been easier for him to get as far away from Em and her emotional problems as he could, he does the thoughtful, yet completely unexpected thing.
Since the movie's time-line is 1987 (a year many of us remember very well), one can also expect to hear some pretty cool pop tracks from such artists as Expose, Sheila E. Whitesnake, Animotion, Falco and Crowded House, among others.
Overall, while throwing a curve to its trailer audience, "Adventureland" is a decent enough film. Far too many scenes of toking on joints for my taste (I was thankfully never into drugs as a teen), but it does not detract from the message of the period between post prep school liberation and those awkward first steps towards true adulthood.
It's a time I would gladly return to if possible.
Oh sure, there are teenage virgin boys, hot young ladies and enough pot to choke Seth Rogen, but this tale of adolescent awakenings and dead-end, post-high school summer jobs is much deeper, more thoughtful and the humor rings truer than your run-of-the-mill contemporary raucous teen comedy.
It's 1987 in Pittsburgh and brainiac James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg, a kind of Andy Samberg-lite, who appeared in "The Squid and the Whale") has been accepted into Columbia University and is planning a trip to Europe as a graduation present. Then, however, his father (character actor Jack Gilpin) is demoted and the funds for the vacation are no longer available.
To make matters worse, the only way to raise money is for James to seek employment at a dumpy, run-down amusement park (hence the title) where the rides are broken, the games are crooked and the employees are either teenagers in between menial positions or adults firmly set on the road to lifelong loserville.
Immediated tagged as a "game guy" (although he'd rather operate the Tilt-A-Whirl) by the park's supervisor, Bob (Bill Hader, "Hot Rod," "SNL"), James tries to work up enough enthusiasm to call lame horse races at his booth. Bob's efforts to infuse some passion into the young man are some of the most funny moments of the picture. James would have gone completely off his rocker had it not been for his co-worker friends, including Joel (Mark Short), local lawyer's daughter, Emily (Kristen Stewart, "The Messengers," "Twilight"), and the demented Frigo (Matt Bush), who shows his affection towards James by constantly punching him in the groin.
Hey, I think we can all relate (with the possible exception of the belt in the testicle thing). My first job after high school was a mid-1980s gig as a cook at Kentucky Fried Chicken (long before they began referring to it as "KFC"). Many an evening - covered in grease and flour - I would dream of dating one of the gorgeous cash register girls (it never happened), with only my buds to help get over the depressing reality.
In the film, James and Em hit it off at a party and sort of begin seeing each other; although she still pines for Brad, the park's maintenance man and musician (Ryan Renyolds) who is married and continues to lie about once jamming with Lou Reed. When he finds out about this, James dates ice cold dancing diva Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva), just for spite.
When he reveals Em and Brad's affair, Lisa spills the news all over the park causing her to quit and James to re-evaluate his feelings for her.
And while it would have been easier for him to get as far away from Em and her emotional problems as he could, he does the thoughtful, yet completely unexpected thing.
Since the movie's time-line is 1987 (a year many of us remember very well), one can also expect to hear some pretty cool pop tracks from such artists as Expose, Sheila E. Whitesnake, Animotion, Falco and Crowded House, among others.
Overall, while throwing a curve to its trailer audience, "Adventureland" is a decent enough film. Far too many scenes of toking on joints for my taste (I was thankfully never into drugs as a teen), but it does not detract from the message of the period between post prep school liberation and those awkward first steps towards true adulthood.
It's a time I would gladly return to if possible.