Touches You

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The first must-see film of the year.

Simply wonderful. Adventureland is a gem that completely passed me by on release, but am beyond euphoric to have discovered via the gift of Netflix.Yes, the spirit of Cameron Crowe is all over this, even down to the Paul Westerberg songs. And of course I mean Cameron Crowe at his fearless, heartfelt best, that mainlining of music and young love in Say Anything, Singles or Almost Famous, anchored and rooted in a particular place. And what a place Adventureland is, where Falco blaring 20 times a day tortures the downtrodden staff, all marking time listlessly waiting for something more interesting to happen to their lives. And of course something interesting happens to them as they wait.Every cast member earns their place without a foot wrong really, but of course special praise has to go to Eisenberg and Stewart. And especially especially Stewart, 100% believable as damaged but never playing the victim, beguiling while never being cute. All of which would have counted for little had Motolla's script not been so sharp, never over-emoting, flirting with and enjoying genre cliches here and there but never at the expense of succumbing to the inevitable. Oh, and the end credit song was the most perfect choice in a film full of them.This is a film to treasure. Looking at the rest of Motolla's resume, this is likely to be his career highlight, the personal film he protected from all sides. A true cult classic.

'Adventureland (2009)' is a part of the low-fi indie movement that was originally refreshing but quickly became over-saturated, a slice-of-life drama that tries to reflect reality yet still retain a written narrative. As such, its initial stylings aren't anywhere near as charming as they are perhaps intended to be. The lead character is annoying due to Eisenberg's inherent motor-mouthed arrogance masquerading as shy quirkiness (essentially every role he has ever played) wearing thin faster than it's even presented, the period time-setting is only as relevant as the fact that no mobile phone is ever seen, and there are a number of conveniently unexplained coincidences that hinder the believability of some key developments. Still, the majority of the piece is entertaining and even somewhat endearing, capturing an aimlessness and nostalgia that's, at times, somewhat accurate. It's subtly funny on occasion, too, mostly thanks to Bill Hader who's improvisational moments really shine here. 6/10

Adventureland is a great movie with a very well developed storyline and a terrific comedic cast that are a also able to be dramatic when they have to. It's a very funny movie, but it never gets too carried away with its comedy, which I really liked, every joke was meaningful and was used in order to developed the characters, establishing their relationships, several of them are very relatable, particularity James and Em, I'm sure anyone who watches this movie will find their friendship similar to one you may have had, there are countless aspects to them that are very human. The only thing about this movie that bothered me was the fact that there are just so many characters that are intriguing that by the end several of them felt underdeveloped, particularly Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig's characters, they were brilliant in all their scenes and I loved the dynamics between them, but they simply aren't in it enough, and I was left wanting to know much more about Bobby and Paulette. The cast is outstanding, and they are all very well able to do both hilarious scenes, as well as dramatic, serious moments, ranging from Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Ryan Reynolds and Michael Zegen, I felt for and understood all these characters, which goes to show just how good their performances really were. A great script and a stunning cast, Adventureland is a very enjoyable movie that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good comedy drama. When a graduate gets a dead end job at a fun fair, he soon finds it to be a perfect preparation course for real life. Best Performance: Jesse Eisenberg

Adventureland (2009): Dir: Greg Mottola / Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader, Martin Starr: Teen comedy that remembers the joys and heartaches of youth. Jesse Eisenberg plays a college graduate who works at an amusement park during the summer. Director Greg Mottola has fun with the location and really gives viewers an idea of what working at such a job is like. He previously scored big with Superbad, which is also a comedy about youth. Eisenberg does well experiencing one's first job and romance. Kristen Stewart plays off one's anger towards parents and the false security of wrong relationships. Her father is involved with a woman whom she spites due too the phoniness. Unfortunately, as many of these films do, they seem to solve their issues with sex in a manner that seems taken for granted. Ryan Reynolds plays a maintenance worker having a marital affair with Stewart. He symbolizes males who can achieve affection from beautiful women but cannot commit. He does commit to helping his mother though, which allows him some sympathy. Bill Hader steals scenes as the theme park manager with amusing methods to restoring order. Martin Starr plays an employee who has no luck with women but bonds with Eisenberg. Winning comedy that reflects one's first job and the baggage that makes it all memorable. Score: 9 / 10