No Fun in Adventureland

On its own, Adventureland is sweet if both implausible and predictable. But compared to Superbad, writer/director Greg Mottola’s previous outing, it’s surprisingly lackluster, to say the least. First, the implausible. James, our protagonist (Jesse Eisenberg doing his best Michael Cera), smokes pot, parties, has made it all the way through college, it’s 1987, and he is still a virgin? I got out of college in ’82 and I realize AIDs changed everything shortly thereafter but this much is hard for me to believe? The summer between high school and college, sure, but after four years of dorm life and various extra-curricular “experimentation,” the guy has not been laid once!? This incongruity isn’t helped by the fact that James’ early childhood friend, Frigo, still acts like he’s 13. I mean, you will assume that this must be the summer before starting college until forced to accept otherwise and the realization is vexing. Next up, the predictable. The frightened, sex-crazed coming of age tale needs some twists and turns; some character grist, family and/or relationship dysfunction. All the parents here are all tasteless, paralyzed by disappointment, and uncomprehending bores but never step out of the background. Likewise, Ryan Reynolds as an over-aged lothario, Mike, the mouth-piece for the macho biological imperative, is a boring caricature. The other Adventureland character roles (especially Joel as a pipe-smoking, Gogol-reading lifer at the fun park) are amusingly colorful and so the start is promising but outside some random anti-semitism there’s not much frisson; no homoeroticism, no kinky sex proclivities. The heart of the story with James’ brooding love interest, Em (Kristen Stewart), and the gum-popping bimbo, Lisa P, has thorny potential but its resolution is preposterously Hollywood. Which, alas, is also the sweet part. Turns out, again, love conquers all. Love is the ultimate high in this journey called life the movie confirms, despite all the evidence to the contrary along the way. Love is transformative, etc. (Or until outside forces intervene and/or internal resolve gives out once the camera stops, says the jaded single inside.) Truth is, even though when you haven’t yet it feels so, falling in love isn’t so hard. It’s sustaining love that’s hard. Not just staying together, riding out the rough stuff. But keeping alive that flame, or at least contact with the fuse, the possibility of fireworks. That achievement is a sweet cliché I’d stand up and cheer for but you have to start somewhere, I guess. Finally, I actually hurried to see the film mostly because I heard Yo La Tengo did the soundtrack. But outside an instrumental bit over the closing credits I’m pretty sure there’s no Yo La Tengo music in the film. Making matters worse, the soundtrack is a period-appropriate mix (lots of Lou Reed, Husker Du, “Rock Me Amadeus,” etc), but the music isn’t integrated into the action. As a bag of songs they’re fine but they don’t resonate cinematically the way songs do in a Wes Anderson or David Lynch or Scorsese film. Adventureland isn't offensive but it is a bit of a dud. Wait for that video night when you want to catch up on some youth flicks. Or, for sure, if you haven’t, by all means, see Superbad instead.