Ten years from now, when we look back at our generation of film, a few comedies will certainly stand out.
The Judd Apatow series including "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" should be able to stand the test of time while Will Ferrell will be remembered for movies such as "Anchorman" and "Old School." One that will surely be a classic is "Superbad," the hormone fueled booze quest by director Greg Mottola.
Mottlola's newest film "Adventureland," was filmed in the nearby Kennywood amusement park in Pittsburgh and really tries to be another keeper for the college crowd. Unfortunately, it falls a bit short.
The film is the coming-of-age tale of James Brennan, a college graduate played by Jesse Eisenberg.
Upon discovering that, surprise surprise, his father has lost his job, Brennan's plan for a dream vacation in Europe is thwarted along with his graduate studies.
The summer job search begins and ends at Adventureland, a low-grade amusement park made up of rigged games and even weirder employees. What follows is a journey of supposed self-discovery by our main character.
Eisenberg, who shows a bright acting future, is able to truly capture the attitude of someone who is book smart yet has no idea about real life.
The audience can almost all relate to his summer job troubles along with his headfirst dive into the idea of love. Overall he's a very convincing portrayal of the confused young adults many of the college crowd are.
Martin Starr plays a fellow game operator who enjoys Russian literature and smoking a pipe made for a 60 year old. Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig of "Saturday Night Live" add constant laughs as the park's owners.
Ryan Reynolds doesn't play a smart mouth for once but instead acts as the creep our mothers all warn us about.
The problem in the casting comes with the backbone of the film, Kristen Stewart. At times she shows why many consider her to be one of the next great actresses, but overall her performance isn't worth buying.
Part of the fault should go to Mottola and his screenwriters, since they really don't give you a reason to believe the relationship between her and Eisenberg. There isn't enough substance provided to see a true development of their love.
Her mannerisms will also annoy you at times and if you've seen "Twilight," beware, she plays the same character.
Another problem comes along with the overall tone of the film. Mottola attempts to mix the elements of an offbeat comedy with a serious drama.
The comedy is solid and features memorable moments but unfortunately the drama is just missing something. With the laughs and an unnecessary focus on the 80s, the serious basis of the film isn't given enough attention to thrive.
Despite its faults, "Adventureland" shines in spots. Mottola is able to create a believable environment that a summer life could exist in.
We've all been friends with kids in the film even if they are slightly exaggerated for humor purposes.
The cinematography is also impressive with a few scenes you truly can't take your eyes off of. The offbeat humor is the most impressive point though. With so many gross out comedies nowadays, it's refreshing to get jokes about poetry.
With "Adventureland," Greg Mottola attempts to give us a worthy follow up to "Superbad," but falls short. Credit is certainly due for his plunge into more dramatic fare but at the same time you wish that the film took itself more seriously.
While the movie is worth your two hours, be prepared to watch a true slice of life where like us, the characters rarely change.
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