Adventureland Movie Review

You know, I always secretly wondered what it would be like to work at an amusement park, but after seeing this film, I think that I would have just been disappointed.

"Adventureland" is the latest film from director Greg Mottola, of "Superbad" fame. It stars Jesse Eisenberg as James Brennan, a college graduate with big plans in mind for his future...only problem? He's not even qualified for manual labor.

Thus, he has no choice but to get a job at the local theme park, Adventureland, where he meets a large cast of characters that help him on his way, and ends up falling for Em (Kristen Stewart), a girl with a few things to hide...

Adventureland seems to be the polar opposite to Superbad; where that film was an off the wall, gross out comedy with a subtle splash of drama thrown in the mix, this is the other way around. If you're picking this up for nothing but a pure good laugh, then you're picking up the wrong film.

Now don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that this film is bad as a comedy. In fact, it's hilarious. It's just not quite on the same comedic level that Superbad was on.

That fact aside, I really have to tell you; I loved this film. I loved everything about it. I loved the story, I loved the dialog, I loved the realism to it, I loved the performances, I loved the ending, I loved the middle, I loved the beginning, I loved the characters, I loved the comedy....I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!

I mean, it's like this film was made for me! Constantly I'll find myself in the middle of a conversation, where I'll say something, and the person I'm talking to will confused, like they have no idea what I'm saying, and what makes it even worse, is that sometimes...it's because they don't!

That, and many more of the daily issues in my life are discussed in this film, and I love it because of that. This film is a drama, but you don't have anything like you get in most romantic dramas, with cheesy dialog, and them saying "I LOVE YOU!" "I HATE YOU!" to each other every five seconds. The drama in this film feels extremely real, almost to the point where it depresses you. But it just makes it that much better when the film redeems itself.

One of the pleasant surprises of this film was Kristen Stewart's role as Em, or Emily, the love interest of our main character James. She was a damn good actress in this film, and since I'd only ever seen her before as Bella in Twilight, I wasn't expecting her to be. No offence Twilight fans, but she did not do a good job in that role...

Here however, her role is similar, but on a much more realistic level. She doesn't just say her thoughts to everyone around her who asks; she chooses to keep them in, as most teenagers in this generation would, so that when things do get to the point where she lets it all out, she lets it out in a big way. This film definitely plays with your heart strings a little bit...

If you haven't seen this yet, then I really recommend that you do. It's totally worth the DVD price...or maybe just a rental. :)