Adventureland - Review Thread

[saveus1011]

Overall decent. Matt Bush's character needs to be killed in glorious Zack Snyder slow-motion and Kristen Stewart is essentially playing Kristen Stewart even down to smoking weed. Eisenberg is a solid lead though and the film has a very sympathetic feel to it. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig steal the show, especially when Hader threatens a rowdy customer with a baseball bat.

Be warned, it's not a laugh fest. There's a story being told here, and a pretty good one at that. Plus I can't hate a movie that has a Jack Lambert jersey and is filmed in Pittsburgh. ;)

7/10

[FranklinTard]

did you used to live in the burgh?

[jbailey84]

Steelers fan tard ;)

how was Ryan Reynolds in the film?

[FranklinTard]

yea but he said it was filmed in pittsburgh (and liked it because of this fact for some reason), meaning he maybe recognized some landmarks or something. still like to know if he lived here/visited here ever.

[saveus1011]

yea but he said it was filmed in pittsburgh (and liked it because of this fact for some reason), meaning he maybe recognized some landmarks or something. still like to know if he lived here/visited here ever.

Nope, but loved the Steeler references. I have friends there though.

And Reynolds is actually good. His character is developed pretty well and he hits the right notes.

[Road Warrior]

Don't waste your money on Fast & Furious. This is a more rewarding movie.

Jesse Eisenberg stars as James Brennan, a young man in 1987 who must spend the summer working at a carnival (run by scene stealers Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig) in order to pay for graduate school. He hates it at first but overtime makes friends and falls in love with a girl who saves him from being stabbed over a stuffed animal. That girl is simply known as Em and is played by Twilight's Kristen Stewart. They date but it isn't serious. Em is a complicated girl. Her home life is a mess and she's having an affair with a married man. That makes it difficult to form a committed relationship. And, it affects James' life as her lies and mixed signals force him to make decisions that he may or may not regret by the end of summer.

Director Greg Mottola, whose previous movie was Superbad, once again manages to make a movie that speaks to young people. He could be this generation's John Hughes if he wanted to. In Superbad he explored the lives of high school kids who wanted to have sex. Here he explores the next stage, falling in love and entering the work force. The difference between the two movies is that this one isn't over-the-top. Superbad features a lot of stuff that would never happen in real life. In Adventureland everything is possible and chances are...it happened to you.

http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/movie-review-adventureland

[ddel54]

Im actually looking forward to seeing this tonight or tomorrow.... This actually is about the directors old job in Adventurland on Long Island where Im from and have been to a bunch of times....He only filmed it in Pitt bc adventureland here has been changed over the years even thou its a crappy place

[JheyDC]

Don't waste your money on Fast & Furious. This is a more rewarding movie.

Jesse Eisenberg stars as James Brennan, a young man in 1987 who must spend the summer working at a carnival (run by scene stealers Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig) in order to pay for graduate school. He hates it at first but overtime makes friends and falls in love with a girl who saves him from being stabbed over a stuffed animal. That girl is simply known as Em and is played by Twilight's Kristen Stewart. They date but it isn't serious. Em is a complicated girl. Her home life is a mess and she's having an affair with a married man. That makes it difficult to form a committed relationship. And, it affects James' life as her lies and mixed signals force him to make decisions that he may or may not regret by the end of summer.

Director Greg Mottola, whose previous movie was Superbad, once again manages to make a movie that speaks to young people. He could be this generation's John Hughes if he wanted to. In Superbad he explored the lives of high school kids who wanted to have sex. Here he explores the next stage, falling in love and entering the work force. The difference between the two movies is that this one isn't over-the-top. Superbad features a lot of stuff that would never happen in real life. In Adventureland everything is possible and chances are...it happened to you.

http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/movie-review-adventureland

Nice synopsis. Also, Ryan Reynolds is in it (correct me if I'm wrong) he's frickin' hilarious...

[Neverending]

Also, Ryan Reynolds is in it (correct me if I'm wrong) he's frickin' hilarious...

Yes. Reynolds is the married man that Kristen Stewart is having an affair with.

[jbailey84]

Don't waste your money on Fast & Furious. This is a more rewarding movie.

Jesse Eisenberg stars as James Brennan, a young man in 1987 who must spend the summer working at a carnival (run by scene stealers Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig) in order to pay for graduate school. He hates it at first but overtime makes friends and falls in love with a girl who saves him from being stabbed over a stuffed animal. That girl is simply known as Em and is played by Twilight's Kristen Stewart. They date but it isn't serious. Em is a complicated girl. Her home life is a mess and she's having an affair with a married man. That makes it difficult to form a committed relationship. And, it affects James' life as her lies and mixed signals force him to make decisions that he may or may not regret by the end of summer.

Director Greg Mottola, whose previous movie was Superbad, once again manages to make a movie that speaks to young people. He could be this generation's John Hughes if he wanted to. In Superbad he explored the lives of high school kids who wanted to have sex. Here he explores the next stage, falling in love and entering the work force. The difference between the two movies is that this one isn't over-the-top. Superbad features a lot of stuff that would never happen in real life. In Adventureland everything is possible and chances are...it happened to you.

http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/movie-review-adventureland

great review warrior. i plan on seeing this tomorrow night i hope.

[JheyDC]

Yes. Reynolds is the married man that Kristen Stewart is having an affair with.

Swear? How did his role play out?

[Neverending]

Swear? How did his role play out?

He's the straight man.

[JheyDC]

hhmmm Interesting...thank you for the input...

[saveus1011]

hhmmm Interesting...thank you for the input...

Yeah, he's good in it though.

Nice signature sir.

[casablanca3]

Really enjoyed this one. Not as good as Superbad because it is not as hilarious but it is still really funny and Hader and Wiig are hysterical as always. Eisenberg was really good but reminded me of Michael Cera way too much and Kristen Stewart was terrific. Martin Starr was fantastic as well and hopefully will continue to appear in more movies. Reynolds did a really good job too and showed that when given good material, he can be awesome. Loved the music for the most part except for a couple cheesy 80's songs. Really solid film that will likely never lose its luster.

[krushgroove19]

saw this at sundance earlier this year and loved the hell out of it, and gave it a second viewing tonight. enjoyed it probably more this time. martin starr was perfect, and the soundtrack is amazing. pretty much from the very opening with "bastards of young" by the replacements, i was sold. i think this is my favorite movie so far this year.

9.5/10

[DarkKnight25]

I'm either seeing this or Monsters Vs Aliens tomorrow so I will have a review for one of these movies tomorrow.

[unity768]

The amusement park Adventureland was always somewhere to go when I was a kid. You could go on all the rides in a couple of hours, eat, and it wasn't as expensive as Six Flags or other larger amusement parks. Since I've grown older prices have risen, rides are less fun, and two people have died there (its true). Director Greg Mottola is coming off his fresh and hillarious coming-of-age comedy Superbad, and the expectations for his next film couldn't have been any higher. Now Mottola gives us his semi-autobiographical tale titled Adventureland, focusing on the adolescent days after college, and how the giant leap into the real world isn't as easy as it looks. While Superbad utilized foul language filled dialogue and memorable laugh-out-loud moments, Adventureland uses a smart script, subtle humor, and an authentically crafted love story to send its message across to viewers.

James Brennan (Eisenberg) is a college grad in 1987 looking to go to Europe with his best friend. After his parents tell him they've run into financial trouble and can't fund his trip, Brennan is forced into work at Adventureland. At this wacky job he meets a set of interesting characters. Soon enough James and Ema, played by Twilight alumni Kristen Stewart, are going steady, and the love story begins to take form. Bill Hader is excellent as the store manager while Kristen Wigg is also brilliant as his silent but humorous wife. Ryan Reynolds plays Mike Connel, the too-old-to-be-working there ride fixer who shares a secret relationship with Em. It's easy to see a lot of Michael Cera in Eisenberg's portrayal. Even with the latter, I felt the performance was solid and authentic. Kristen Stewart is terrific as Em, showing a lot of layers and emotional depth to her character. Perhaps the well crafted script from Mottola gave birth to these successful performances. Unlike most of what is out there in the romantic comedy realm, Adventureland doesn't need cliche characters and stereotypes to tell its' story. The humor is there, but it is subtle and quick, with the exception of a hillarious scene involving Bill Hader and a baseball bat. This is a real and exceptionally told story.

The 1980's time setting is captured to perfection by Mottola and really brings you back in time to when Reagan was President and Madonna was the girl to be. This is seen heavily in the performance from Margarita Levieva who's outstanding as the ditzy, bubble gum chewing hottie Lisa P. After James and Ema have their first fight about the status of their relationship, James begins to take interest in Lisa P. Adolescent angst and the incomprehension of growing up is further explored in the films quarter half, investing heavily with the love arc between James and Em. I think this may slightly bogged the film's quality a bit. As much as I enjoyed the love, the film felt really uneven and sporadic when scenes involving Bill Hader, and James's ball kicking friend came into the picture. I felt Mottola couldn't decide whether the film wanted to be a serious adolescent romantic drama or a cornball, slap-stick teen comedy. It can work on both levels, but there's no real fluidity to make the experience a masterful one. Nevertheless, the characters created are three dimensional and real, with Kristen Stewart's Em taking the cake.

Coming down the its home stretch, the ending to Adeventureland left a stinky stench in my mouth. It's a rushed, cliche, and Hollywood-esque conclusion. Much of Adventureland stayed clear of those elements, but the last 5-10 minutes saw a conformity to the typical romance set-ups I just can't tolerate. Nonetheless, this is for the most part a real, honest, authentic, and up-close scope of the adolescent journey into the adult world. The performances and script are top notch, while the humor has enough laughs to keep the audience entertained. Mottola's auto-biographical tale may not be as funny or even as good as Superbad, it still has enough honest moments to warrant a very solid recommendation.

B

[Dhamon22]

I'm hoping to see this Monday night.

And Casablanca, Eisenberg has always reminded me of Cera a little bit. I can see where you're coming from with that.

[casablanca3]

I'm hoping to see this Monday night.

And Casablanca, Eisenberg has always reminded me of Cera a little bit. I can see where you're coming from with that.

Yeah for sure!

[saveus1011]

Saw this again. I almost want to knock my score down to a 6 and think I will.

[Freelow]

Took the girlfriend to see this about 2 weeks ago. While it was not the best movie ever made, it was far from being the worst.

I did live the first part of my life in Pittsburgh and was amused to see a childhood memory on the big screen. The park used was Kennywood Park. Every year in grade school, the school would take the day off and go to the park.

One of the best roller coasters is there - it's called the Thunderbolt. It is still considered one of the best coasters in the country. Gotta love the wooden roller coasters.

[FranklinTard]

thunderbolt is probably the best but the jack rabbit is amazing for the unsafe feel it gives you on the double dip.

[ReservoirJedi]

this movie had potential to be hilariously more funny. it felt more CUTE then anything which im not hating. i liked it. ryan reynolds was the best part to me and al hader, but he'snever bad... fave scene; when the kid breaks the ride, and ryan just screams "you ****ed this up" or something of that nature it cracks me everytime. i gave this movie more credit than it deserved. espicially after i saw observe and report.. NOW THAT MOVIE was hysterical from start to finish.. omg! i couldnt stop smiling.. :)

[IanTheCool]

This was okay, but I found it really awkward at some moments. At first I wasn't buying the romance between the two leads, but as the movie went on it found its stride and the chemistry actually worked quite well. But the other elements around it weren't working quite so well. The Ryan Reynold's character didn't work for me, neither did the Lisa P thing. And the two park owner's seemed like they were in a different movie. It was slightly uneven like that.

In the end I was happy with the romance, it felt quite authentic. But the movie as a whole jsut didn't come together well enough.
6.5/10