Adventureland (2009)

Director:

Greg Mottola

Writer (WGA):

Greg Mottola (written by)

Release Date:

3 April 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It was the worst job they ever imagined... and the best time of their lives.

Plot:

A comedy set in the summer of 1987 and centered around a recent college grad (Eisenberg) who takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.

Plot Keywords:

Summer | Amusement Park | 1987 | Summer Job | New York City

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Jesse Eisenberg	...	James Brennan
Kelsey Ford	...	Arlene
Michael Zegen	...	Eric
Ryan McFarland	...	Brad
Jack Gilpin	...	Mr. Brennan
Wendie Malick	...	Mrs. Brennan
Matt Bush	...	Tommy Frigo
Todd Cioppa	...	Velvet Touch Manager
Stephen Mast	...	Rich
Kristen Wiig	...	Paulette
Bill Hader	...	Bobby
Martin Starr	...	Joel
Adam Kroloff	...	Adult Contestant
Kristen Stewart	...	Em Lewin
Kevin Breznahan	...	Molly Hatchet T-Shirt Guy

MPAA:

Rated R for language, drug use and sexual references.

Runtime:

Argentina:107 min | USA:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #39360) | Argentina:16 | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | New Zealand:M | Iceland:12 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Trivia:

Director Greg Mottola originally planned to shoot the movie in the real Adventureland park, but later decided against it since the park had been so drastically remodeled since he had worked there.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Em and James are smoking pot outside, Em's breath is visible suggesting the air is freezing even though it's supposed to be the middle of summer.

Quotes:

James Brennan: Yeah, Frigo was my best friend. Then, I turned four.

Movie Connections:

References Space Invaders (1978) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Adventureland Theme Song

Good "Coming of Age" Drama/Comedy

While watching this movie, it wasn't clear if this was supposed to be a comedy or a drama, so it's difficult to put this into a category. It was funny and sad, so I'd classify it as a comedy/drama.

The movie takes place in the 1980's and the main character is forced to take a job a Pittsburgh area amusement park called "Adventureland" so he can save enough money to attend graduate school. While his parents feel the job is beneath his college degree qualifications, it's the only job he can find so he takes it, and ends up working the game show booths. While working there, he meets Kristen Stewart, and they develop a romantic relationship, which takes up a large chunk of the movie. Kristen, incidentally, seems to be playing the same exact character she played in "Twilight", wounded and needy.

Based on the trailers, I was expecting something along the lines of "Superbad" but the movie was a lot closer to "Dazed & Confused", a well written period piece of the 1970's. The comedy aspect of the movie was in the interactions with his friends, parents, co-workers, and supervisors. There weren't a lot of LOL moments, but the humor is more in identifying with the characters and their lives.

I enjoyed the movie and anyone living or growing up during the 1980's will appreciate the mood & music of the film.