Adventureland review

Director: Greg Mottola
(2009)

I'm sure that this is the third Greg Mottola film that I have watched. Given the fact that Superbad was average and Paul was a poor effort, I shouldn’t have even bothered watching Adventureland, his coming of age drama that was made in between the 2 aforementioned titles. I'm incredibly glad that I did. Not only is Adventureland Mottolas best film, it’s also a fine example in how to correctly make a coming of age film correctly without it feeling forced or superficial.

Like all of his work, Mottola doesn’t force an overly complex story onto the viewer. James (Jesse Eisenberg) has just graduated high school and is preparing to backpack around Europe through the summer before heading off to university. This summer of culture and debauchery is short lived when his parents reveal that their financial troubles can’t afford for him to go; troubles that also threaten his chance to go to university as well. The solution is to get a summer job; the only place that will take him is Adventureland, the local theme park. From here were thrown head first into a touching and genuine film, something that Superbad should have been. They do, after all, sport similar themes, the final summer of adolescent youth, drinking large quantities of alcohol and looking for that final love before departing to make a name for themselves in the big, bad world.

A big part in what helps keeps Adventureland fresh is that it has humour that works. Perhaps not as constantly funny as Superbad, the jokes here resonate more, so it’d be unwise to expect talks about semen and being possessed by a dick devil. I think what makes Adventureland more grounded that Mottolas other work is due to the toned down language. Almost every character has the word fuck pass their lips, but compared to Superbads 186 uses of it, less is definitely more here.

The brilliance of Adventureland is helped significantly by solid performances from the entire cast. Eisenberg imbues James with a dorky clumsiness, when juxtaposed next to the tomboy Em (Kristen Stewart) makes for some cute, awkward scenes. The park owners, Paulette and Bobby (Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader) bring chuckles, his hideous 80’s vibe and her complete uselessness. Even actors who I feel aren’t adept at their profession in good turns here. There’s no doubt that its helped by good writing from Mottola, but actually caring about Ryan Reynolds is something I never thought I would do. The script is so tight in fact, that its ending looks weak next to the rest of the film. Adventureland does so well to stay well away from the typical clichés for the most part, but the ending couldn’t have been more clichéd even if it tried. It might give some much needed closure, but did why do these scenes always feature terrible weather?

Personally find it wrong to compare the works of a director. I believe that each film should be taken as an individual piece of work. But with Adventureland, Mottola has proved his development as a filmmaker. Practically all his mistakes in Superbad have been rectified here, demonstrating tighter editing (Superbad outstayed its welcome far before the end), deeper characters and more resonating sentiment. His talents don’t hit stratospheric heights, but they do mesh together to make a fantastic film its performances are stronger and the humour less childish. Adventureland is a part coming of age story, part comedy, and all heart.

8