Adventureland

Writer / Director Greg Mottola’s Adventureland recalls memories of grubby summer jobs taken during those innocent(?) teenage years. The job in this instance is helping out at a dodgy theme park in Pittsburgh. It’s 1987 and James (Jesse Eisenberg) is said teenager taking said job, where he falls for Em (Kristen Stewart). As the weeks pass he discovers more about life then any University / College course could teach him. Let’s be honest, this is hardly original territory. Teenage coming of age films are everywhere, but as this is Mottola’s follow up to Superbad (which, granted he didn’t write the screenplay for) you may be pleasantly surprised by the warmth and subtlety shown. Some may be put off by the number of quirky characters shoe-horned into the park, but there’s no denying there’s a few people there we can all relate to meeting at some time in our lives. Eisenberg plays the bumbling but sharp James just the right side of smug, though it’s Bill Hader who steals the show in a number of extended hilarious cameo’s as the theme parks supervisor. There are some quibbles though. Stewart’s Em is so bland it’s hard to believe that she has so many potential suitors, and the lack of attention to detail at times means the film looks like it could be set anytime between 1967 and 1997. The hardcore Superbad crowd may find this all a bit tame and slow, but for the rest of us this is an enjoyable little film, and though it may feel overwrought at times, there’s enough here to provide some smiles as you recall those fumbling teenage days.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
A bit twee at times, but a knowing and witty script mean that you’ll pay for a ticket for Adventureland and not leave disappointed. Rating: 6/10.