Adventureland
Coming of age, coming of age. It’s tough. We all have to do it. But not all of us did it in the 80’s, which is what Adventureland aims to show us. The plot is unoriginal, but the real heart of this film is in the era in which it takes place. The acting is very subtle on most accounts, and the directing (Greg Mottola of Superbad and Arrested Development) leaves it all up to the actors, with story-telling as its goal. It’s unadorned and all the better for it.
The story brings a new perspective to the old story in which a boy (a virgin) meets a girl (not a virgin) at their summer job, and they fall in love. On the surface, it’s a simple summer romance story. But it is lived under a new light. In the 80’s, there were no cell phones, no internet, no iPods, and CD’s were just picking up speed. It’s almost as if the 80’s are the 50’s in new clothes. Life is fairly simple, but it’s within the context of the open sexuality of the 60’s and 70’s and, lest we forget, the radio anthems of the 80’s. Put all this together, and you have a modern day retelling of the 80’s classics, like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and a handful of other movies that helped 80’s kids through their rites of passage. And at a time of economic turmoil and job paucity, it does carry a good deal of truth, especially for recent college graduates.
Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart have a quirky chemistry, and it works on a lot of levels; Eisenberg’s style is very reminiscent of Michael Cera, and Stewart is great as the confused, sexual, confident girl next door. Throw in oddballs Ryan Reynolds and Bill Hader and you have a guy who actually did grow up in the 80’s acting with kids who didn’t. The story is unembellished and straightforward, but it allows the audience member to relive his or her own coming of age in the time of their youth, and it brings a new perspective for those coming of age now, to see life as it was 20 or 30 years ago, when their much older siblings or cousins lived a life much like their own, different only in degree, not in quality. The supporting cast is funny and has a career ahead of them if they can get noticed, especially Martin Starr and Matt Bush (the older brother from the AT&T commercials).
However, I think this movie missed its audience by a few months. It would be a great summer movie, if it had been released in, well, the summer. Having missed its proverbial boat, I think this will float off into the sunset without too much fuss. Despite the fact that this will be quickly forgotten by most, it is fun, relatively insightful, and has a good bit of genuine human emotion. Toss it in your Netflix queue, or find it at Blockbuster. Especially if you grew up in the 80’s.
Rating: 3/4 Stars
