Adventureland ***1/2

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Matt Bush, Jack Gilpin, Wendie Malick
Director: Greg Mottola
Running Length: 1:47
MPAA Classification: R

It is 1987, and James Brennan (Eisenberg) is a college graduate looking to get away to Europe for the summer before heading on to graduate school. Things fall through not only for the summer plans, but for graduate school as well. James gets a job at Adventureland, making minimum wage and running a game booth. While there, he meets a wide variety of people, and becomes particularly close to Em (Stewart). Their relationship is complicated, not the least of which is due to Em’s relationship with handyman/rock star Mike Connell (Reynolds). As the end of summer draws near, they must decide the paths their lives will take, and no option is the easy choice.

“Adventureland” is a great movie. Evoking nostalgia for the 1980’s, and providing great character development, “Adventureland” succeeds in almost every way. While funny, the movie is not a comedy, but rather the humor of everyday life. The actors all make their characters real in their own way. Acting-wise, the one minor quibble is that Eisenberg at times seems like he is channeling his inner Michael Cera. “Adventureland” left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and is definitely worth giving a shot. I highly recommend it.