Adventureland (R)
Mike:
Scott:
Scott: Tonight we are reviewing Adventureland
, a movie that is surprisingly unlike it's previews. It's not a regular comedy; it's more of a coming of age movie, where the people have already come of age.
What did you think Mike?
Mike: I liked it, but I agree that it is not what I thought it would be from watching the commercials. They are marketing it like it is the next Superbad, but it is not a laugh out loud comedy.
What did you think?
Scott: I'd have to agree with you. It's not laugh out loud, or laugh quietly for that matter. It's a confused movie to watch and try to figure out.
I had a hard time trying figuring out if the characters were actually in college, or recently graduated. It's not clearly stated initially and I thought the people were all high school kids.
Mike: Actually they establish that James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has just graduated from college and is going to graduate school in the fall.
But you are right that they act like high school kids, because they seem very worried about what their parents think. I wasn't all that concerned with that once I got out of college.
Scott: Yeah, they drink, but don't want to get caught. It was that uncertainty that left me distracted. It seemed like the screenplay called for a younger group that was later changed older people.
Mike: This movie reminded me of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, without as much humor. This movie is more drama than comedy.
Scott: Much more drama.
The movie stars Jesse Eisenberg as the confused man/boy not yet in graduate school. He's a virgin and is into poetry, so he's likely to stay a virgin (just kidding).
Through an unfortunate event (just one, not a series), he has to cancel the European trip he planned with his college buddy. Instead, he goes to work for the local amusement park to save enough money to go to Columbia for his Masters.
Mike: You and I both thought that he sounded a lot like Michael Cera in his speech patterns. It's almost like the script was written for Michael, but he wasn't available.
Scott: His voice, speech pattern, movements, the script, everything pointed to Cera. If I closed my eyes, that's who I heard.
Mike: Once I got past that, I found that I enjoyed Eisenberg and his character.
Scott: I never got beyond that.
Mike: I thought Brennan was a good everyman/teen character. He was easy to relate to.
Scott: But he was 22+ and that was my problem.
Mike: As I was watching the movie I realized that since it was taking place in 1987 that I could be one of these people. I graduated college in 1985.
Mike: The funny thing is the young people who will go to this movie would think of me as being old.
Mike: (Now I am just waiting for an age joke from Scott)
Scott: I'm not going to crack on your age. I'll leave that to our readers.
Scott: Kristen Stewart played the angst-ridden Em Lewin. Her character is oh-so familiar to these kinds of movies. I liked her, but not the character.
There is a scene in which James gives Em a cassette of depressing music and all I could think was I was watching Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist again.
I wasn’t familiar with her before this movie.
Mike: Think Twilight. She has been all over the commercials.
Scott: I haven't seen it and I'm not interested in seeing it at this time.
Mike: Just saying you can’t miss her even if you want to...
Mike: I could see the similarities to Nick and Norah, which oddly enough starred Michael Cera.
Cera is one of the stars of Superbad, which was also directed by Greg Mottola, the director of this movie. So even though Michael is not in this movie, I felt like we needed to talk about him.
Scott: That Mottola was the director of both really makes me think it was supposed to be for Cera
Mike: That’s what I'm saying.
Unfortunately, I think it is also the reason they are marketing it like Superbad, which is a mistake.
Even the poster has the same 70's vibe. Which is funny since this movie takes place in 1987.
Scott: Initially, I thought it was closer to 1982 for some reason. It had a late 70's/early 80's type feel to it.
Mike: Strangely there is nothing in the story that requires this to be 1987, except that I guess maybe this movie is semi autobiographical.
Mike: And guess what? Mottola, the writer was born in 1964.
Scott: It might help explain some of the clothes and dancing that we see.
Mike: Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who are featured prominently in the ads are the comic relief.
Scott: They rarely appear, but they are funny.
Mike: Their parts aren't as big as the trailers would lead you to believe, but they made me laugh. They are stars of the current Saturday Night Live if you ask me.
Scott: Ryan Reynolds pops in as the older veteran Adventureland worker Mike Connell. His character is kind of creepy in the way he interacts with the much younger women in the movie.
Mike: He is definitely the Big Man on Campus of the amusement park.
I was actually surprised at the relationship between Connell and Brennan. In the context of the story it seems that they wouldn't like each other since they are both interested in the same girl, but they get along great.
Scott: Matt Bush plays the James' friend Tommy Frigo. He's that kid that still thinks the dumb jokes from middle school are still funny. If you think you know him from something, it's because he's the rollover kid in the AT&T commercials.
Mike: His hitting his old friend Brennan in his junk every time he sees him is actually a funny running joke.
Alright, the last thing that connects me to this movie is that it takes place in Pittsburgh, PA where I grew up.
The "Adventureland" park is actually Kennywood Park, the amusement park I went to summers as a kid.
Talk about a flashback.
Scott: I'm depressed for your youth. The park seemed as depressed as our characters love lives.
Mike: Remember I was going to this park in the 70s. Things weren't as high tech as they are now, whippersnapper.
Scott: I worked in an amusement park in 1989, the same era as the movie. I don't remember it the way Mottola does (this was based on his youth).
Mike: You worked at an amusement park and you think my youth is sad?
Scott: Hah, good one. I am amused.
Mike: How do you rate this?
Scott: I didn't like this movie. I thought it was a sorry attempt at a coming of age movie. It couldn't figure itself out, so didn't feel like figuring it out either. I give this a 2 out of 5 overall and a 1.5 for coming of age movie.
And you?
Mike: I give it a 3.5 out of 5 overall and a 3 for coming of age. I liked this movie. Maybe it was the nostalgia or maybe the characters. Like Nick and Norah, I found myself enjoying the ride.
Enjoying the ride. Get it?
Scott: I'd rather ride a Grizzly.
