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Adventureland

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Adventureland (2009)

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Reviews Counted:193

Fresh:170

Rotten:23

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: Full of humor and nostalgia, Adventureland is a sweet, insightful coming-of-age comedy that will resonate with teens and adults alike.

Australian Rating: TBC

Runtime: 1 min 47 secs

Genre: Comedies

Australian Theatrical Release:
Jun 4, 2009 Wide

US Box Office: $16,025,394

Synopsis: Capturing all at once the wistful emotions of early adulthood, the chaotic freedom of youth, and that uniquely wonderful boredom of summer, Greg Mottola’s coming-of-age comedy, ADVENTURELAND,... Capturing all at once the wistful emotions of early adulthood, the chaotic freedom of youth, and that uniquely wonderful boredom of summer, Greg Mottola’s coming-of-age comedy, ADVENTURELAND, splits the difference between his commercial breakthrough, SUPERBAD, and his underrated debut, THE DAYTRIPPERS. ADVENTURELAND follows recent college grad James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) as he slogs his way through summer as a games attendant at a local amusement park, where he learns about the shady goings-on of the carny’s world and is introduced to an assortment of weirdos, stoners, goons, and other lost souls. Among that last group is the angsty Em (Kristen Stewart), who captures James’s heart despite her involvement with the park bad-boy, a rocker-turned-maintenance-man (Ryan Reynolds) who seduces women with a dubious story about jamming with Lou Reed. Though the movie has its share of vomit scenes and erection jokes, Mottola is surprisingly restrained in his use of gross-out humor (particularly given SUPERBAD’s near Shakespearean vulgarity), with much of the film’s more blatant hilarity coming courtesy of Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as the park’s completely unhinged yet utterly in love managers. At its core, ADVENTURELAND is really nothing more than a coming-of-age story set in a colorful locale--the monotonous siren call to "Step right up!" compels after-work beer blasts, random make-out sessions, and drunken existential yearning. Yet what in any other film would be played for cheap laughs and easy smiles is here used to conjure the ineffable mystery of a summer romance. Through a mixture of pleasing performances, a nuanced script, and a brilliant soundtrack (featuring the Replacements, Husker Du, David Bowie, and, of course, Lou Reed), Mottola has created a bittersweet delight that will stay with the viewer long after the midway goes dark. [More]

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Kristen Wiig

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Sue O'Malley, Jack Gilpin, Wendie Malick

Director: Greg Mottola

Director: Greg Mottola
Screenwriter: Greg Mottola
Producer: Anne Carey, Ted Hope, Sidney Kimmel
Studio: Miramax Films

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Adventureland

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
3.5/5

David Stratton

Most films about the sex problems of young people are puerile and offensive. Mottola's are distinctive because he cares about his characters, and because he knows them at first hand.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 12 2009 10:22 AM

The Australian

tomato
3/5

Ben Kenisberg

Mottola hasn't concocted the funniest summer comedy ever, but he may have given us one of the wisest.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 05 2009 06:44 AM

Time Out Sydney

tomato
4/5

Margaret Pomeranz

There’s an honesty about this film that’s at times painful, but mainly it’s just funny and very sweet.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 05 2009 06:38 AM

At the Movies (Australia)

tomato
4.5/5

Leigh Paatsch

While many movies have danced the "it was the summer where ..." tango before, few have done it with such grace, guile and good humour as Adventureland.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 27 2009 10:28 PM

Herald Sun (Australia)

splat

Hernán Alcerreca

Adventureland is no Superbad. To Mottola's credit, though, it's obvious that the director is deliberately trying to avoid repeating the same formula.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | May., 26 2009 10:23 PM

FILMINK (Australia)

tomato
4/5

Sophie Verlane

Less Superbad, more Freaks and Geeks -- it's one to treasure.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 26 2009 12:06 AM

Empire Magazine Australasia

splat

Brian Orndorf

It’s fantastic to observe Adventureland reach out and seek a timeless youthful uprising feel, but the film's eventual realization is a crushing disappointment.

Full Review Source: | comment 2 Comments | May., 24 2009 09:59 PM

Dark Horizons

tomato

Louise Keller

Greg Mottola's auto-biographical coming of age story has plenty of heart and although the elements of a first-love plot with all its complications are not new, the script is a good one with detailed, compelling characterisations.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 21 2009 11:08 PM

Urban Cinefile

splat

Adam Lippe

Regardless of the well filled-out cast and the fact that it's structured like a comedy, Adventureland just isn't funny. There really aren't jokes and the overlong running time is mostly given to a standard budding romance.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 12 2009 07:21 PM

Examiner.com

splat
C+

Nick Schager

Content to occupy that middle ground where insights are authentic but far from revelatory and comedy is more amiable than riotous.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 06 2009 06:06 AM

Lessons of Darkness

tomato

Philip French

A funny, touching and honest film about a serious 22-year-old neither embarrassed by nor exulting in his lack of sexual experience.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 18 2009 08:42 AM

Observer [UK]

tomato
4/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 18 2009 03:15 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato
4/5

Adventureland is reminiscent of indie movies like Breaking Away, Dazed and Confused and Clerks. You could put it another way and say it’s not very original. Yet, watching the movie, you’re too swept up in James’s problems to care.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 07:44 AM

This is London

tomato
4/5

Tom Huddlestone

As a sweet-natured character comedy – and a subtle exercise in generic boundary-pushing – this is a real charmer.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 07:22 AM

Time Out

tomato
4/5

Richard Luck

Its gentle charm and effortless eloquence personified by its winning lead, Adventureland is only marred by a rote final reel.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 07:06 AM

Channel 4 Film

tomato
5/5

Toby Young

The whole enterprise is infused with a quality of feeling, an integrity, that is rare in such a commercial film.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 06:49 AM

Times [UK]

tomato
4/5

Peter Bradshaw

A tremendously funny and touching coming-of-age story, which he has set in the 1980s with a sprinkling of nicely chosen cultural references.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 06:29 AM

Guardian [UK]

tomato
4/5

Dan Brightmore

Like all films that strike a chord, you’ll find yourself replaying your own memories as the credits roll on a comedy that fires the heart.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 06:10 AM

Little White Lies

tomato
4/5

Simon Reynolds

Some may scoff at Adventureland for sailing too close to a tried and tested story formula, but it's funny, heart-warming and more meandering and whimsical than you'd expect from a mainstream Hollywood comedy.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 05:56 AM

Digital Spy

tomato
4/5

Boyd Hilton

An Indie romcom which doesn’t pile on the contrived quirkiness and instead concentrates on being believable, smart and sweet.

comment Comment | Sep., 11 2009 05:50 AM

Heat Magazine

 
 
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