Having been able to see Adventureland in advance of its US theatrical opening yesterday, I've been rather lazy about posting my thoughts in a formal review. Frankly, I was led astray by the trailers and television advertising, which made the film look like a spiritual cousin to director Greg Mottola's previous film, the very bawdy comedy Superbad. I was expecting a comedy and Adventureland is not that, exactly.
Taken on its own terms, however, as a hazily nostalgic wish-fulfillment trip, Adventureland provides a warm and fuzzy experience, especially for those who can easily identify with the main characters. The film recreates a late 80s summer in a dreary amusement park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has been unexpectedly forced to work. James has just graduated from college, but this is very much a coming-of-age story, albeit for a late bloomer.
The obvious templates for this kind of movie might appear to be American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused, but both of those ensemble pieces took place over the course of just one night. Adventureland focuses almost exclusively on James, paying only token attention to other characters, and developing lazily over the course of the summer. In that respect, it bears closer resemblance to The Wackness, with very specific references to a privileged, East Coast view of life.
In certain respects, Adventureland feels very familiar. James may be a college graduate, but he's still a virgin, so he wants to have sex before the end of summer. He is irresistibly charming to women, in that inexplicable way that only happens in the movies, attracting the attentions of both sweet Em (Kristen Stewart) and sexpot Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva). He has an obnoxious "friend" who exists solely to punch James in the groin.
James takes the crappy, low-paid job at the ancient amusement park called Adventureland because he's not qualified for anything else; he needs money because his parents cannot pay for his post-graduate studies in Manhattan.
James has great taste in music and knows the only bar in America where the Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes" is available on the jukebox. He's still very naive about women, with evidently very little experience in relationships, so he's not quite ready for Em. Not only is she sexually experienced, she appears to be quite a bit older than James emotionally. She's going through a rough summer, dealing with far more substantial problems than James, and he hasn't the faintest idea how to relate to her or provide the support that she needs. He's delighted with the more superficial and physical aspects of the developing relationship, while she needs a boyfriend who can nurture her and see beyond her outward appearance.
It's obvious to everyone except James that Em has been fooling around with Mike (Ryan Reynolds), the married handyman / musician who, legendarily, once jammed with Lou Reed. That makes him a hero in James' eyes, while everyone else is wary of an older married guy carrying on with the younger woman. As I mentioned earlier, the film focuses almost exclusively on James, so when the narrative point of view suddenly shifts to secret encounters between Em and Mike, it feels odd and jarring, especially since it only happens two or three times. It feels like cheating, like the dramatic equivalent of a god-like narrator appearing out of the blue to explain things.
Adventureland has a number of good moments without digging very (truly) deeply into the psyche of its characters. It has the appearance of doing so, but it turns out that James is not as interesting or deep a character as he initially appears (or wants to be). I'd rather have spent more time with Em (Kristen Stewart gives an acutely intelligent, restrained performance). Or Joel (Martin Starr), a laconic fellow worker who's frequently hilarious, thanks to Starr's delivery. Or Mike, because Ryan Reynolds is, for the first time in memory, not smirking or sleepwalking through his role. Or even a peek at the home life of Bobby (Bill Hader) and Paulette (Kristen Wiig), a married couple who run the park with sincere, if incomprehensible, enthusiasm, and help provide comic relief.
To give the film proper credit, my feelings about it have grown more positive the more I think about it, which bodes well for its shelf life. And Adventureland leaves a pleasant aftertaste, which hasn't been the case for very many English-language movies released this year.