Late Lunches: "Adventureland"

- Posted by Rusty


Review: “Adventureland”

My rating: 4 bites [out of 5]

A nice, nerdy Jewish boy (with a killer Jew fro!)? Who wants to be a real writer? Who's even thinking of doing Journalism in Grad School (all annoying money issues aside)? Nope, I just can't relate to this movie at all...

This is a very good movie that (kind of unfairly) came and went quickly in theaters. It’s from Greg Mottola, the director of “Superbad,” and it was sold as something in that vein: an 80’s-set, raunchy “Superbad” clone, with a new nerdy hero and some amusement-park high jinks. And that’s pretty disappointing—this is a funny film, and, yes, it’s got a virginal, geeky leading man, but it’s a much different beast than “Superbad.” It’s a quiet, subtle little film, with shades of John Hughes and Cameron Crowe more so than the stamp of Judd Apatow.

And, for a good chunk of it, it’s actually quite sad. It does follow the people who work in a crappy amusement park, but all that stuff is much less wacky than just painfully, awkwardly true. We come across people like that every now and then—good people who just get stuck in their lives (it’s actually one of my biggest fears as well), and this film deals with that nicely—with a real eye for honesty and sympathy over cheap laughs. What does happen when we stop taking chances? When we just play it safe, coasting by on lost dreams and abandoned hopes?

I know, the way I’m painting it, it sounds like a downer of a movie …but it’s not. It’s hopeful, moving, and very funny at times—a heartfelt snapshot of one life-changing summer, and not some standard, predictable narrative, and that’s one of the things I liked best about it.

The plot’s pretty straightforward: it’s the summer of 1987 (my birth year!), and college grad James Brennan (the very good Jesse Eisenberg) finds his family in money troubles. He can’t go on a trip to Europe with his friends (where he was hoping to finally, uh, sow a few wild oats), so he’s stuck taking a dead-end job at the Adventureland theme park. However, in another honest detail, while James hates his "Games" job (which involves mostly commentating over fake horse races), he finds himself enjoying his time there because of the people he meets, especially Joel (Martin Starr, fantastic here) as a droll Russian Lit-major, and Em, his romantic interest (Kristen Stewart, proving that, yes, she’s a talented young actress, but we shouldn’t judge that from “Twilight”). That rings very true to me—I never had a job as bad as being an Adventureland “Games” person, but I worked in a terribly boring place a few years ago. I hated it at first, thinking it was beneath me (I'm really a pompous bastard when I get the chance, huh?)…but I started liking my time there as soon as I made some friends and fellow sufferers. And it helped that one of my favorite people (and future roommate) took the job too, and commiserated with me on our shifts. Jobs may come and go, but I think the relationships you form are the things that truly last and resonate.

True, not too much happens in this movie, but, then again, not much has to. At its heart, it’s an affectionate, pretty touching story of first love and, more so, growing up and moving forward. Greg Mottola wrote the script for this as well, and you could tell it’s a personal story for him. I listened to his commentary on the DVD, and, most likely, he was James (or someone very much like him)—the weird, loveable guy so full of ambitions, if not much sense of how to accomplish them. The movie feels intimate like that—it’s a close, unhampered look at young people on the brink of something—just whatever that “something” is, it’s completely up to them. I’m kind of at that point right now—I need to make some major decisions soon about jobs and Grad School—all stuff that I’m dreading, but have to face up to. This movie’s basic principle is right: it’s all about the choices you make, all about whether or not you try. There are a number of characters here that had so much potential, but they let excuses, some temporary problems, or a lack of courage hold them back, and they’ve regretted it ever since. I have no idea what’s going to happen for me in the next few months, but I'll do my best to keep trying—it’s a lofty, very noble-sounding ambition (incredibly ridiculous too, if anyone knows my patented lazy-and-tons-of-excuses approach to making decisions), but I do mean that, and the movie really spoke to me on that front.

The movie’s got quite the cast, too—a good combination of young talent at the center, and dependable stars in the supporting wings. Jesse Eisenberg has gotten some Michael Cera comparisons, but he’s working a totally different awkward energy. His James is the guy who’s immensely bright, but may be a bit too smart for his own good. He keeps talking, in a mile-a-minute, super-articulate fashion, even when it would really help him to shut up—he means so well, but he just doesn’t have the experience to tell him to slow down and stop revealing EVERYTHING. The role feels tailor-made for Eisenberg—a character like this could have been too awkward, or one that eventually got on our nerves, but he makes him a real, flawed person—a smart, kind-of-passive guy who learns to take chances and fight for what he wants. By the time we reach the ending, the choices James makes feel earned, and very believable considering what he’s been through. (And if I ever become an actor, Jesse Eisenberg has to play my brother—it'll be like dream casting for the Quirky Jewish Family!)

Eiseneberg is backed up by some great people too: the already-mentioned Martin Starr (a favorite of mine since “Freaks and geeks”), Kristen Stewart, who actually has the most complex character and she handles it with an impressive maturity, and Ryan Reynolds, in a very smart bit of casting (I can’t reveal much, but you’ll see what I mean when you watch the film—there's a reason someone as charismatic as Reynolds is playing that part). We also have the perpetual movie-scene-stealers, SNL-ers Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, as the park owners. They pop in and out to provide some laughs, but I wouldn’t have minded a little more of them.

Actually, “a little more” could apply to the whole movie for me. I liked all of these people, and I’m glad I got to drop in on their lives for a while, however short that was. But it seems there’s a little more story to tell—a few more moments with some of these guys that could have enriched the whole experience. Joel, especially, seems missing one or two key scenes—he’s so interesting and well-acted by Starr, I just would’ve loved more glimpses into his world. Same with James’ parents, who sort of come and go with their problems, but leave with too little resolution.

That aside, the movie is still very much worth your time - I think it will find a lot of new fans on DVD. For people who liked the quiet, angsty feel of “Garden State,” this movie tackles similar territory …and, in my mind, is a much better movie overall. It’s the kind of story that stays with you, simple as it is, and while it doesn’t reach the heights of a beautiful coming-of-age tale like “Almost Famous”, I think it’ll be around and talked about for quite some time.

Images courtesy of Miramax Films.