Blog Review: Adventureland

Seemingly aimed at the raunch comedy market revitalized by Superbad, Adventureland is a little light on raunch and heavy on drama. Following the summer job escapades of affluent college graduate and near spot-on Michael Cera impersonator James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg), Adventureland is a surprisingly heavy "dramedy" that delivers some genuinely smart humor, but may leave the raunch comedy crowd a bit out in the cold. The majority of the film deals with Brennan's summer romance with "co-worker" Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart). When this movie isn't dramatic, it is very funny and the 80's setting adds a welcome flair to the props and costume design. Eisenberg plays the role flawlessly as the soft-spoken underdog hero, and it doesn't take long before the whole audience is rooting for him. While the characters seem to insist that working at a carnival over the summer sucks, the movie does anything but discourage it as a dream summer job. Hanging out all day getting high and living out some good old-fashioned teenage drama seems like more than any young adult could hope to ask for in a summer job. So while this film certainly won't be remembered for its realism, it has some memorable characters, a genuinely interesting setting, and a good mix of drama and awkward moment jokes. Just don't expect any McLovin's to make an appearance.