Movies and Movie Reviews

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Adventureland
Reviewed by Janine Slayton


Adventureland is one of those rare movies that come along and, though it's not quite what you're expecting, when you sit back and think about it later you realize that it was more than you thought it would be. The previews give the impression that Adventureland is a laugh-out-loud teen comedy, almost along the lines of Superbad. It ended up being something else entirely.

Employing a cast of mostly unknown actors (with a few notable exceptions- Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader) Adventureland manages to capture a summer that many of us can relate to. James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has just graduated from college, and has a stress-free summer to look forward to before heading off to grad school in New York in the fall-or so he thinks. Upon the discovery that his parents are dealing with some financial hardship-and therefore his grad school money is gone-he realizes that in order to get himself to New York he's going to have to get a summer job. He manages to find one at a local amusement park, Adventureland.

Brennan is a smart kid. He's one of those people that you would come across and think "that kid's got quite a future ahead of him," and yet his life still brings him to a summer working the games booth at an amusement park, cleaning up puke and dealing with roughnecks ready to knife him over an oversized stuffed banana. Brennan meets a wide variety of characters while at Adventureland, from the smart and bitingly sarcastic Joel (Martin Starr), to the much fawned-over Lisa P., the legendary musician janitor (Ryan Reynolds), to the witty and beautiful Em (Kristen Stewart). Each of the people he encounters along the way plays a great role in his summer stint at Adventureland, and the summer turns into one that he never expected and will never forget.

If you enter the theatre expecting a comedy so hilarious you'll be falling out of your chair, Adventureland may not be it. However, it ends up being a gem of a movie that many would not expect anyway. I think most people can relate to the plight of the main character, as well as a number of the more minor characters. Many of them find themselves in a position they never expected they would be in. Life was supposed to lead Brennan in a very different direction, for example, one that did not include Adventureland. While life might have thrown a curveball, though, there are still lessons to be learned and friendships to be forged. Adventureland will definitely hit home with 20-somethings going through their "quarter-life" crises, but it is a movie that I think can hit home for any age group. And don't worry, it is still a comedy. Bill Hader is a guarantee that you will be laughing throughout the movie.