Adventureland
Feature Film | Greg Mottola
A highly personal film grounded by subtlety and sensitivity.
For the follow-up to his hit comedy Superbad, director Greg Mottola could have easily cranked out another movie filled with teen awkwardness and crass humor. Instead, he crafted Adventureland, a highly personal, self-penned film grounded by subtlety and sensitivity. Set in late-1980s suburban Pennsylvania, Mottola's tale trails book-smart college grad James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) as he reluctantly shelves his ideal summer plans, and takes a job at the local amusement park. Before long, James has befriended his fellow "Games" crew, including the geeky, Gogol-adoring Joel (Martin Starr) and the attractive, enigmatic Em (Kristen Stewart). While James inevitably begins a romance with Em, their courtship is never easy or cliché, much like Adventureland as a whole. Though the film covers well-worn coming-of-age territory, Mottola consciously resists many conventions of the style, and wins even more points for avoiding trite "I Love the ‘80s" references. A moodier, more melancholy affair than its perky publicity might imply, Adventureland isn't a wacky summer-break story--it's a thoughtful, nostalgic, and funny film that you won't easily forget.
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Zombieland
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