zkonedog I found the movie "Zombieland" to be a rollicking good time, which is why I gave this flick a chance. "Adventureland", however? Not even in the same league despite the lead actor playing a very similar role.For a basic plot summary, "Adventureland" is the story of James (Jesse Eisenberg), a college student all set up for a grand trip across Europe. That is, until his parents hit the skids and the money dries up. Instead, it's off to look for a summer job, which he finds at the carnival theme park Adventureland. There he meets fellow worker Em (Kristin Stewart), where a complicated relationship ensues.The main trouble with "Adventureland" is that it doesn't seem to have any sense of purpose. It sort of just meanders from one scene to the next and just fizzles out as it goes along. I'm usually very engaged in the movie-watching experience (phone down, no distractions, etc.), but halfway through this one even I was getting antsy. It just didn't go anywhere. It also seemed to hit a bit of a climax about halfway through, where I wondered "how can an entire hour possibly be left in this film?".Eisenberg is a solid actor, but his "awkward kid" shtick doesn't play as well here without a lot of other things going on. In "Zombieland", for instance, there's so much other action that his bits are more comic relief. They are asked to carry the show here, and that approach flops. Not helping matters is the un-expressive Stewart (it isn't just a "Twilight" thing). Yes she is beautiful, but I never felt any true emotion radiating from her. Whether excited or sad, laughing or crying, Stewart always has kind of those "dead eyes" going on that make it difficult to really identify with the emotions she is feeling.Thus, "Adventureland" was one of the worst films I've seen in quite some time. I'm not bored easily by cinema, but this one did the trick.

Yuscha Anindya When a trip to Europe is suddenly canceled because of monetary reasons, a fresh college graduate with little to no job experience has to work in an amusement park (aka Adventureland) to save up for money. What seems to be a measly job will change his life forever.Adventureland has your usual coming-of-age drama formula: an unusual premise, an unique aesthetic, and a soundtrack filled with indie sweethearts mixed with oldies-but-goodies. Some movies may fail on the execution, but not with this one.The movie takes a realistic approach with somber tones, taking on life problems that may hit too close to home, and handling on issues that are authentic without glamorizing them. The performances brought out by the main characters are top-notch. The soundtrack may sound pretentious, but just the right amount of pretentiousness, as the songs really brought out the heavy atmosphere the movie intends to show.Some subplots may deemed unnecessary, and the plot may dragged on a little bit, but it was an enjoyable experience. I was a bit confused as why it was tagged under a Comedy genre, as the jokes are spread thinly across the movie.A perfect movie for teenagers and adults alike.

catholiccontriversy A lot of people are talking about the ads for Adventureland, and while I don't remember many of them in detail, it is true that the ads were a little misleading as to the kind of movie it turned out to be, and that's for the best.I rented this as a "2 for $1" at my local video store, and I was quite surprised with how it was. I was expecting some Eisenberg fast talk and Stuart wooden acting in an R-rated comedy, but it was actually pretty low key slice of life film about a college graduate (Eisenberg) who has to work a crappy job and finds summer romance at said job (Stuart), along with the realistic fun that they get into with their friends and coworkers. It's not a masterpiece of cinema, and the best age to watch this is early-mid 20s (anything younger and they won't get it, and anything older and they will no longer get it), but it's got charm and is really a "this could happen" sort of movie. Plus, it has what is essentially an "all star cast" (even if some were before the big hits or right after they started gaining speed).And if the "R rating" is a turn off, it's a pretty soft R, for language present but not in excess, marijuana alcohol use, and some suggestions at sex. It's kind of in the realm of The Breakfast Club. This isn't "we earned our R rating and we're going to let it be known," it's more of "well to tell the story we wanted we needed some more adult content, just missing the PG-13 mark."

John Hodge Adventureland represents everything I pray my first months as a college graduate do not included. Although… worse things than bro- ing out with Ryan Reynolds and having Kristen Stewart fall madly in love me could without-a-doubt go down. Jesse Eisenberg, the un-expected hero of Adventureland (expected hero, really) portrays a less asshole-ish version of his Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, pulling out all the nerdy stops, including but not limited to: an immensely awkward and unfailing stammer when speaking to any remotely attractive woman, a less-than- flattering Jew-fro, and a borderline translucent complexion (admittedly much like my own). Kristen Stewart is… well, Kristen Stewart, bringing the exact same mannerisms and monotone speech that she brings to every other film she's been in. Last but not least, Ryan Reynolds plays the classic douche. Did I mention that Adventureland takes place in the 80's? I shouldn't be too harsh, though, considering that I actually enjoyed the film and the acting wasn't all that bad. Do not be mistaken, Adventureland is for the youthful, it is for those looking for a light-hearted comedy, it might even be for the unintelligent (not exclusively but mainly, so I surmise), but all this does not mean that it is a bad movie. Adventureland is a small, probably a bit underrated for what it is, romantic-comedy, whose scale tips more in favor of comedy. This, I believe, is for the best. I am not sure this trio of actors, all with their total of one solid performance between them (see paragraph above), are ready to form a Scarlet Letter-esque love triangle in a dramatic romance film akin to that of Blue Valentine or Her or even something similar to the more humorous but still-siding-with-romance-over-comedy, (500) Days of Summer (though Reynolds has certainly tried). Adventureland is funny, and I wouldn't think anyone who has seen it would fight with me on this. Bill Hader, as Bobby, steals the show with his sheer absurdity. One scene in particular is especially hilarious. It comes after James (Eisenberg) stands up for Em (Stewart) by jabbing a slightly over-weight and probably drunk more- or-less hillbilly in the abdomen, which causes the hillbilly's equally likely-to-wear-a-trucker-hat friend to angrily chase James around Adventureland, the carnival where he and Em have summer jobs. James races into the main office and breathes out the words, "Someone is trying to kill me." Hader responds, he grabs his women's softball bat and exits the office screaming profanities and essential death threats at the attacker, who, believing Hader to be a full- blown psychopath, runs off. Along with attacking a patron of Adventureland who refuses to properly dispose of his empty soda and insanely commentating for a predetermined race of plastic horse cut-outs, Hader dominates the movie, keeping it fresh and making it easy to watch the film in its entirety. While, I refuse to say there was anything redeeming about Reynolds in Adventureland, himself and his character included, there were moments that I was pleasantly surprised by the Eisenberg and Stewart's acting efforts. Specifically was James' confrontation of Em after discovering that she has been sleeping with Connell in secret, which has been the cause of Em's self-loathing and inability to commit to James (Reynolds really does his darndest to f@#k everything up in this one). Stewart's incredible stress and confusion are remarkably apparent on her crying face as she watches her love life go to complete and total sh%t all in about five minutes. Then, she returns home, where her rapidly balding step- mother calls her an "ungrateful bitch." Rough. Maybe the acting is tad bit underwhelming, maybe the arch of the film's plot is disappointingly predictable, maybe I wanted to strangle Ryan Reynolds for the entire runtime of the film, but, in the end, I still like this movie. Like many movies about young people, Adventureland connects with… well, young people. It's definitely no Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Breakfast Club (I didn't exactly want to crash a massive parade in the heart of downtown Chicago or befriend a low-life named John Bender after seeing this film), but I did connect with the notion of longing for love and excitement. James has a grand vision of what he hopes his life will be like, a vision that contrasts hideously with how his life is now, and he ultimately finds this to be deeply upsetting. These feelings are probably felt by a multitude of young men and women, and I pride Adventureland for being aware of that. However, much like the arch of the plot, this trope has been played upon time and time again. I like Adventureland for the simple reason that it is funny and light-hearted, I connect with it on some level, and it is by no means an investment watching it (it's not a "thinker," so to speak). I would recommend it for date night; that's probably the best way that I can describe Adventureland.