For a lucky few, graduating means getting a job and starting a career. For most others, graduating means having to take a terrible, low-paying job for months before finally being able to start out in the real world. Adventureland tells the story of one such graduating student who has to get a job working at a rundown Pittsburgh amusement park in 1987.
James Brennan's plans to go to Europe for a post-graduation vacation are ruined when his parents are no longer able to afford to bankroll his trip. Instead, the young, wannabe intellectual is forced to take a job working at Adventureland where he runs rigged games and cleans up after gross kids. There, he falls in love with the worldly Em Lewin, who teaches him more about life than he ever learned in school.
The advertisements for Adventureland make it look like a quirky comedy set against the backdrop of an '80s amusement park. However, these are misleading, as the film is actually more of a low-key coming-of-age drama with humorous flourishes, based off writer/director Greg Mottola's personal experiences. Bringing his experiences to life on screen is a difficult task, but Mottola recreates the environment he grew up in with a quiet grace that works well for the story.
Mottola's direction is complemented by the great cast of young actors. Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart both give complex performances that make the young lovers seem like real people. Martin Starr and Margarita Levieva as fellow workers at the park create fully fleshed-out characters that go beyond the usual supporting roles. Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig, both standouts of the current Saturday Night Live cast, play the owners of Adventureland, and the story of how they run the park could very well be the subject of its own movie.
But this is not the story of the park; it's the story of growing up in a certain place in a certain time. It's a story about growing up and learning to love, with all the mess that comes with both of them. Adventureland is not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but it's still a funny, touching film that's worth taking the time to see.
3 Culture
Ethan Goldsmith
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