Adventureland

So I had the privilege of seeing Adventureland this past weekend, and I must say, I was rather impressed. Ever since The 40 Year Old Virgin came out it seems that every comedy has tried to appear non-scripted and ad libbed. While it works for some films like Superbad, it isn't something that I was too keen of when it decided to stick around for almost four years. It's getting old. However, Adventureland didn't even try to take that approach. And I'm glad it didn't.

Semi-autobiographical about Superbad director Greg Mottola, Adventureland tells the story of James (Jesse Eisenberg),a nerdy virgin writer, who gets screwed (pun intended) out of a backpacking trip throughout Europe during the summer vacation before he goes away to grad school in New York City. His family is a little low on money, so to make a few bucks, he gets a job at a local theme park. James begins making friends with his fellow employees, a ragtag crew featuring the hilarious husband-wife duo (Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig), the other nerd (Martin Starr), the cool maintenance guy (Ryan Reynolds), and the two conflicting love interests, Em (Kristen Stewart) and Lisa P (Margarita Levieva).

What really makes this film stand out amongst the other piles of crap is the fact that the comedy is subtle. As opposed to constant dick and fart jokes, the humor of this film often lies in the background. Whether it's realizing that the park is playing that goddamned Amadeus song again or noticing the extreme lengths the park will go to to prevent people from winning giant stuffed pandas, the humor is constant and feels very real. It makes the film as a whole feel very real and believable.

However, there is one detail that really drags the film down. And by detail, I mean person: Kristen Stewart. Maybe it's just me, but I think she's mentally challenged and no one ever told her so she thinks she's normal. Watching her act is almost painful. She makes the same dumbfounded face in almost every shot, and when she speaks, it looks like she has to think very hard about the words the are coming out of her mouth. What makes things worse for her is that she is surrounded by a great cast and it makes her sucking stick out much more.

Aside from Kristen Stewart, Adventureland is a great film and I highly recommend it. Whether you're in the mood for a comedy or a coming-of-age story, this film is great.

I give Adventureland an 8 out of 10.