Adventureland (2009, USA)

A funny, often bittersweet, coming-of-age romance, Adventureland is nearly pitch-perfect, especially in its sharp script and satirical, though affectionate, take on 80’s teen culture. James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) is a newbie Oberlin grad, more interested in showing off his academic chops in poetry and philosophy than seriously considering his future. Too bad for him, his alcoholic father has just been demoted, and instead of traveling Europe and smoking weed all summer, James is forced to take a crap job at the local amusement park, Adventureland, and . . . smoke weed all summer. As it happens, Adventureland harbors some kindred spirits, such as the awesomely nerdy and dryly hilarious Joel (Martin Starr), and the aloof fatalist Em (Kristen Stewart, worlds away from her dead-eyed performance in Twilight. Perhaps the weed helps her act?). Where James’s story goes from there is generally predictable, but also genuinely felt, well-acted, with more than its share of laugh-out-loud moments – though it’s nowhere near as crude or laugh-oriented as writer/director Greg Mottola’s Superbad. Adventureland has a more somber tone, but it’s part of what pushes the movie beyond just a popcorn laugher about “Rock Me Amadeus”, ball-punching, and giant-ass pandas.