Booby prize

I had another opportunity to see a sneak preview at the campus theater. This time it was Adventureland, which is coming out on April 3rd. As with any of my early reviews, spoilers ahead!

Having spent several summers working at my city's recreation center, I know a thing or two about lousy summer jobs. They're low paying, thankless, and usually involve you having to work alongside a bunch of other deadbeats. But somewhere amongst that misery, you find you gain a lot of good stories and fond memories. You may not want to have that job for the rest of your life, but you end up grateful for the opportunity nonetheless. I was hoping to see a similar situation emerge in Adventureland, the new film directed by Superbad's Greg Mottola.

The film, set in 1987, centers around James Brennen (Jesse Eisenberg), a recent college grad whose plans for a trip to Europe over the summer are dashed when his father receives a demotion. In order to make money so he can go to grad school, Brennan takes a job at the local amusement park.

The park employs a number of interesting characters including SNL's Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who run the place, Ryan Reynolds as the park's maintenance man, and Martin Starr (Knocked Up). All of these characters are great in their limited roles. There are even a couple other lesser known actors who also shine in their brief appearances. Each of these characters in their own way provide a lot of humor to their scenes.

If only the film had managed to stay in the park longer, this would have been an instant classic. Instead, the film opts to place most of its attention on Brennen's attraction to Emily (played by Kristen Stewart), who also works at the park. I have no problem with including a love story into the film as a subplot. I also wouldn't have minded if it was the central focus if you provide the audience with a rooting interest in the characters. However, in this film the romance really drags the film down.

The central flaw in this love story is the character flaws of both characters. Brennan is an indecisive virgin who unnecessarily opens up to anyone who will listen. Emily comes with a ton of baggage and may not be as pure as Brennan thinks she is. If done right, you can make a romance between flawed characters work, but their flaws just seem incompatible. By the end of the movie they seem smart enough to recognize their flaws but eschew improving on them and instead just settle with being together.

Brennan's lack of growth is particularly frustrating. You would think that with the way the story is structured, his time spent at Adventureland would have provided him with the life lessons needed to improve himself and better handle this relationship. Instead, it appears the carnival setting was just a mere prop to inject some humor into a film centered on a flimsy love story.

It's hard to be completely critical of the film because when it chooses to be funny, it really succeeds. Mottola once again shows that he can create realistic depictions of teenagers that are embarassing, awkward, and still hilarious. I just wished he would have embraced it more. This almost seems like two movies put together. The stuff at the carnival works, everything else doesn't.

In the end, the film is just like the rigged games you'd find at an amusement park like Adventureland. You're easily drawn in by the flashy lights and big prizes, but once it's over you feel like you've been ripped off. I'll give the film a mild recommendation based on the strength of its hilarious supporting cast. However, you may be best to wait until DVD for this one. I have a feeling a lot of good stuff found its way onto the cutting room floor so that more time could be spent on a mopey romance that fails to set off any Fourth of July fireworks. Grade: B-