Adventureland Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: It's 1987 and a guy named James must work at a local amusement part to make enough money to go to an Ivy League college.

Review: I'm not a fan of "dramedies" by any means, but this one is quirky and entertaining enough for me to enjoy. I don't know why they made the setting 1987 except that crappy amusement parks like Adventureland would probably be out of business by now. The use of music from the '80s and '87 specifically works nicely to enhance the atmosphere and, I'm sure, stir the nostalgia for some. Of course the hairdos, clothes, and other oddities from the '80s contribute to making the setting feel realistic or at least humorous. I especially liked the addition of the bimbo named Lisa P, because she embodies a lot of the '80s cliches all in one: such as the side ponytail, chewing bubblegum constantly, tight, pink clothes, and always doing some cheesy dance. I do have to admit though, she is kind of hot and would have seemed super hot back in those days. Some of the casting is a bit weird what with the unusual background character Mike (played by Ryan Reynolds) and Jesse Eisenberg as the main guy, James, but he's basically playing himself yet again. I think the reason why I felt the casting was so odd was that I just don't see these actors as having the personalities people would have had back then given the setting. The heart of the plot is a love story between James and Em (played by the ever annoying Kristen Stewart) which I was surprised wasn't super sappy; Kristen Stewart also wasn't as bad as I thought she'd be especially considering her stupid introduction. For the most part, this is a straightforward summer romance flick that has some unusual comedic moments, that do work effectively, with sprinkles of drama strewn about while not being too cheesy. It's worth a view if you're into indie movies and much better than you would think. I would definitely say all the ladies out there into the chick flicks might want to give this one a shot, but I can never tell how some interpret a romance flick.

Notable Moment: Probably toward the end when we see James finally punch this kid, Frigo, in the balls after Frigo has been doing it to James all summer.

Final Rating: 6.5/10