DVD Review: Adventureland

By Kevin Coll • August 24, 2009 • 1 Comment

Directed by Greg Matolla, this dark little indie coming of age comedy, resonates much like Linklater’s Dazed and Confused or a Detroit Rock City without the over the topness. Adventureland, follows James Brennan a recent college graduate with everything planned, the graduate degree at Columbia, a trip across Europe and the career fantasy of being a top journalist.

However like most plans they change espectedly or unexpectedly, when his parents announce they are broke and will not be able to honor their agreement of helping finance his summer through Europe. With no options James is forced to find a job to save money so he can move to NYC for the fall semester of grad school. No job prospects or opportunity he takes a job working at Adeventureland, their he forced to administer games. While working he meets Em (Kristen Stewart) who he becomes completely smitten with. Throughout the film and relationship we learn about the characters and their foibles, mistakes, ambitions and so-on, watch the movie to find out.

Basically i thought the movie was decently funny, defintely no Dazed and Confused but the nostalgia was pretty good. Stewart was cute as always but her one dimensional mysterious character – i.e. Bella wears thin in this movie as she always looks so uncomfortable or on something. Then there is Jesse Eisenberg who is okay as the lead but it seems at sometimes he doing his best to compete with Michael Cera, that quirky, funny and lovable thin awkward guy. Eisenberg isn’t bad its just he isn’t great. Lastly, there is Ryan Reynolds, a big name for a project like this, but he has nothing to do most of the time he just there playing the darkly mysterious handsome mechanic that all the girls want to grind. The movie is basically the same formula as the aforementioned Dazed and Confused but the humor was no good, the film left me more depressed then happy.

Ultimately I think the film is okay and worth seeing for some good indie summer fun but I do not think it is worth buying as the special features are subpar with your typical deleted scenes, a making of featurette, commentary with Jesse Eisenberg and Greg Matolla, a picture music selection and nothing else.

Total Score – Rent

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