Adventureland

Jesse Eisenberg plays his overused, over-mannered character in ADVENTURELAND. He's set to go to Columbia for grad school to become a journalist, but not before he goes on a trip with rich friends to Europe one summer in 1987. However, once his dad is laid off, his family can't afford it, and without the aid of friends to take him on the trip, he ends up in a job for lazy losers at the local theme park. It's name is Adventureland, and it's a shrewd and weird place where you're either in "Games" or in "Rides". Eisenberg's James is told that he definitely belongs in games by the couple who run the park (played hilariously by Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, work that ranks high above anything they ever did for Saturday Night Live). At the park, James becomes known for having some really good weed, and having lost big fucking panda that you're never supposed to give out for an award, after being held at knifepoint. James meets a group of strange characters that become slowly endearing. One of these characters is Em, who is played wonderfully by the underrated Kristen Stewart. Em and James might end up becoming something, but they're both slightly bitter people. They're definitely appealing and charming throughout the film, but they each have streaks of cruelty that threatens their relationship. ADVENTURELAND suffers from the same common syndrome that runs throughout director Greg Mottola's films. It's an intrinsic flaw that, whenever it is presented, undermines whatever warmth or realness was exhibited previously. Mottola likes to, at the end of his films, wrap up things how they should not be wrapped up, and incessantly allows for nerdy, losers to get the hottest girl around. This is not realistic or interesting, and is indulgent of Mottola and his frequent counterpart and faux-auteur/genius Judd Apatow. However, ADVENTURELAND's earlier scenes make up for most of this stupidity. It's not bad.
Adventureland: ★★1/2