Review: Adventureland (2009)

[Prestonagé]

  Pack your bags and head off to Adventureland where the games are
rigged and the rides are lousy. But the staff will provide you with
many laughs as James Brennan begins the only job he can get to pay for
his college tuition. There he meets Em Lewin and the two begin to see
each other. Everything is complicated by another girl, another guy,
and all the ridiculous things that happen to you as a carny.
  Adventureland is a comedy with a wonderful mix of all types of humor
and very well blended with romance and drama that strikes a cord we
should all see more of.
  There have been much funnier movies than Adventureland, but only some
possess the amount of oddly true romance such a good portrayal of how
much it would suck to work at a amusement park. The funniest humor in
the movie is definitely the physical, but the masses of wit comes in a
close second. It has everything from shots to the balls to threats
with a baseball bat. These are all well played and not just typical
stupidity because of this classic ensemble that well suites the 80's.
Especially funny characters are Bill Hader's and the kid from the AT&T
commercials, Matt Bush, as Frigo, a progressively outrageous kid who
is well acted. Good performances are all around including the two
leads. Jesse Eisenberg is very well suited and plays his character
very well. Kristen Stewart is even better. She plays a very
complicated person for a comedy. Em is depressed because she hates her
new stepmom, she commits adultery, drinks, smokes pot, and yet jokes
around. Ryan Reynolds is the only bad. He just didn't suit the role
and wasn't funny. The way the team interacts is funnier than any
situational comedy that lacks the cleverness of this production. It is
well directed and may not be that smooth, but any of the jokes will
make you forget any bump ever happened. Production values are a little
sketchy and that killer soundtrack makes it a bit hard to hear the
dialogue at some times.
  The 80's nostalgia is splendid and brings back a few giggles from
those times. The gentle charm of the characters mixed with their
eloquent dialogue feels real and makes it a good touching story of a
mixed up girl and a virgin guy.
  Adventureland is a sweet charmed comedy that nails the cultural
references and keeps the laughs and drama tightly wound for a
beautiful effect.
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