'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

This is a decent enough film, with a likable cast. It's got an interesting enough premise, and a good soundtrack.However I think it has been looked at with rose tinted specs by those who proclaim it as a modern day classic, and the sort of film that the late, great John Hughes would've been making today.I mean, it's good, but it's not great. It has too much bad language for my taste, as well as an over reliance on sex for the source of its humour.I think those people need to take the specs off and see it for what it is.

I knew the leading actor from The Social Network was in it, I knew about the setting, and I knew the critics give it a good rating, I was looking forward to whatever it had to offer, directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Paul). Basically set in 1987, at the beginning of summer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, young adult James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has graduated from Oberlin College with a comparative literature degree, but he inexperienced in many ways, including being a virgin. He has plans to spend the summer touring Europe with his best friend Eric (Michael Zegen), before heading to New York City to attend a journalism graduate school at Columbia University, but his parents, Mr. Brennan (Jack Gilpin) and Mrs. Brennan (Wendie Malick), announce they can no longer financially support him. James has no real skills, but he is forced to take the only job he can get, at a third rate amusement park called Adventureland, assistant manager Bobby (Bill Hader) assigns him to be one of many games operators, most of the games themselves are fixed. James's co- workers include the sarcastic Joel (Martin Starr); park manager and Bobby's wife Paulette (Kristen Wiig); the alluring Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva); and the park's maintenance man/technician and part-time musician Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds). James believes he has died and gone to hell, until an incident with a cheating, threatening customer brings along Emily "Em" Lewin (Twilight's Kristen Stewart), another games worker, who saves him, he is instantly attracted to her, and with no real experience with women, Mike takes him under his wing to give him advice. James and Em becomes good friends, slowly they embark on a relationship, and have their first kiss, but she wants to take things slowly, James is upset, and when Lisa P. asks him on a date, he eventually accepts, during it they kiss. After the date, James learns Em had called apologising for rejecting him, Joel is irritated about James being with Lisa P., James unsuccessfully tries to convince him to stop quitting, James is honest with Em about going out with Lisa P., hearing this she ends her affair with Connell. James goes to Connell's mother's house, where he apparently takes girls for sex, he is upset to see Em walk out, James spreads the word around, Em quits in anger and moves to New York, James is heartbroken, gets drunk and drives his father's car into a tree, the following morning his mother tells him he must pay for the damage with his summer earnings. James no longer has enough to attend graduate school like he wanted, but with his parents' blessing he heads to New York anyway, meeting Em at her apartment she is reluctant to talk to him, but she is touched by what he tells her, he reveals he will wait for next year to go to Columbia, and they embrace, removing their clothes, implying they will have sex. Also starring Josh Pais as Mr. Lewin, Mary Birdsong as Francy and Paige Howard as Sue O'Malley. Eisenberg is great as the vulnerable, nerdy every man, and Stewart is good as his smart but melancholy love interest, this is not the typical teen movie, most are filled with gross-out jokes and outrageous behaviour, but this one is a more heartfelt, focusing simply on the relationships between characters, and leaving room for 1980s nostalgia, a simple but most effective coming-of-age comedy drama. Very good!

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."