Adventureland (***)

Directed by: Greg Mottola
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Starr, Matt Bush, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Margarita Levieva
Seen: June 18th 2009

*** Out of ****

James Brennan (Eisenberg) has just graduated from college and a bright future awaits him. But then, out of the blue, his girlfriend of less than two weeks breaks up with him, and his plans to tour Europe are smashed by his father’s demotion at work. The trip was promised as his graduation present, but now it simply gets cancelled. To further compound his misery, his parents can also not afford to send him to Columbia University anymore, where he has already been accepted.

Adventureland is a movie about choices, or more particularly, staying positive in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. When James hears about his parents’ inability to pay for his university education, he starts looking for a job, but at first even restaurants won’t have him (he digs really deep, claiming watching a neighbour’s lawn during the holidays as a reference). Eventually he does get a job at Adventureland, an amusement park in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Even here he doesn’t really get the job he wants, as Bobby (Hader), the manager of Adventureland, assigns him to Games, even though James asked for Rides. Bobby’s reasoning for this: James looks more like a Games guy, and besides, he already has the Games application form ready. What’s more, Bobby’s wife, Paulette (Wiig), agrees with Booby without a moment’s hesitation, not out of fear or oppression, but because she has the same almost insane zeal for the amusement park.

As James starts, he is cheated by a customer into giving away a prize that he was warned by management not to give away, but Emily (Stewart) saves him from a premature dismissal. The two hit it off almost immediately, but Emily still has some “anchors”, shall I say, which make up the bulk of the film’s drivers. James starts making friends soon enough, including Joel (Starr) – also on Games, Frigo (Bush) – more of a bully, but they hang out together, Lisa P (Levieva) – Rides, and Connell (Reynolds), the maintenance guy. All of these actors are perfect in their roles, with Reynolds and Eisenberg giving the most honest portrayals of two almost opposing characters.

The film is a bit of a bittersweet romance that does a very good job of representing the 80’s. The music fits, the clothing fits, the hairstyles fit, everything was thought of. The film is also a very subtle lesson in life. If you choose to wallow in despair, that’s the way your life will turn out to be, but if you choose to make the best out of every situation and fight for everything, then things will eventually swing your way. Adventureland is a great drama with some good comic moments that don’t overwhelm you, but rather charm you as viewer. And it takes you back to those moments of long ago where love confused the hell out of you (as it probably also still does). Who to choose, what to do, how to do it? Those are indeed the correct questions.