Spring Break
Film Review: Adventureland
Deena ElGenaidi
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Culture
Adventureland, directed by Greg Mottola and starring the relatively unknown Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, depicts the story of college graduate whose European summer plans go awry, as he must now work at Adventureland, the local amusement park, in an effort to pay for his grad school tuition at Columbia. Mottola, the director of Superbad, brings us this far less raunchy film, set in 1987, outlining the summer of James Brennan, the awkward college grad who falls for Em, another Adventureland employee.
Adventureland is your typical "coming-of-age" film, filled with much of the same clichés: the awkward boy who falls for the girl, alcohol, a bit of teen drug use, sex, and a scenario which requires the characters to "grow up," in a sense.
However, the film does have its high points, with its strange, quirky characters and situations. The owners of Adventureland for instance, a married couple played by "Saturday Night Live's" Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, hilariously run the park in their own clueless yet severe fashion. The film depicts a wide variety of characters, ranging from the cool older guy who actually turns out to be somewhat of a dirt-bag to the socially impeded Russian literature major.
The film focuses mainly on the relationship between James and Em, two vastly different people who begin to fall for one another. While under any other circumstance these two characters would be entirely incompatible, the film makes the audience believe in the plausibility of their relationship.
Additionally, the 1987 backdrop does nothing to distance the audience, as much of the events, probably familiar to many of today's college students, could very well occur in 2009. If anything, the time period serves to attract a wider audience, as the theater was packed with young college-aged moviegoers in addition to an older generation, perhaps reminiscing on their youth.
Lastly, the music of Adventureland cannot go without praise. With a wide variety of songs, the soundtrack covers various aspects of 80s music, employed through the mix tape of "Bummer Songs" that James makes for Em.
Overall, the film was amusing and quirky in its own way, but it did not bother to break any bounds, sticking to the same clichés of any heartfelt teen movie. For those interested, the film is currently playing just a short walk away, at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
Adventureland is your typical "coming-of-age" film, filled with much of the same clichés: the awkward boy who falls for the girl, alcohol, a bit of teen drug use, sex, and a scenario which requires the characters to "grow up," in a sense.
However, the film does have its high points, with its strange, quirky characters and situations. The owners of Adventureland for instance, a married couple played by "Saturday Night Live's" Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, hilariously run the park in their own clueless yet severe fashion. The film depicts a wide variety of characters, ranging from the cool older guy who actually turns out to be somewhat of a dirt-bag to the socially impeded Russian literature major.
The film focuses mainly on the relationship between James and Em, two vastly different people who begin to fall for one another. While under any other circumstance these two characters would be entirely incompatible, the film makes the audience believe in the plausibility of their relationship.
Additionally, the 1987 backdrop does nothing to distance the audience, as much of the events, probably familiar to many of today's college students, could very well occur in 2009. If anything, the time period serves to attract a wider audience, as the theater was packed with young college-aged moviegoers in addition to an older generation, perhaps reminiscing on their youth.
Lastly, the music of Adventureland cannot go without praise. With a wide variety of songs, the soundtrack covers various aspects of 80s music, employed through the mix tape of "Bummer Songs" that James makes for Em.
Overall, the film was amusing and quirky in its own way, but it did not bother to break any bounds, sticking to the same clichés of any heartfelt teen movie. For those interested, the film is currently playing just a short walk away, at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
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