Life Hurts, Truth Hurts, but its all funny

I finally got around to re-watch a film that had been pronounced my favorite movie of the year, but I wanted to see it again to make sure I wasn't being delusional or just sentimental. Adventureland (2009) directed by Greg Mottola of Superbad fame is hands down my favorite film of the year. It is disappointing to see that most critics are not giving this coming of age story its due.

With Adventureland you get a film that is both sweet and dark simultaneously. Jesse Eisenberg plays James a college graduate who is about to go on a trip of a lifetime to Europe until his father gets a salary cut and his parents can't afford to send him, so instead he has to get a summer job at the theme park Adventureland. If that plot description sounds mundane and simple, well maybe it is, but why it works so well is because the film is about the characters and the relationships that are formed in a summer that turns out to be pretty transformable for all those involved, especially James.

Films like Adventureland may be sentimentally enjoyable for me, but why I love this movie is because I can relate to the main characters struggles with life, the film has very funny but realistic characters and every time I go to turn it on I feel like I am visiting with old friends. Mottolla is able to not only be smart and funny but also consistent (other than Bill Hader and Kristen Wigg's over the top characters).

One of the best decisions Mottolla made was to cast Eisenberg for his lead. I used to say that Eisenberg was a poor mans Michael Cera, that couldn't be farther from the truth, he is a more intelligent, and talented actor than Cera, and carries this film with an ease and a sympathy that allows for the audience to go with whatever decision he may be making. Kristen Stewart is very like-able as the girl James is desiring even if she is always acting with her hands in her hair, you understand why he is interested in her. Ryan Reynolds also gives a nice and subdued performance as a womanizing maintanance man. What really impressed me about Reynolds character is that he finds a way to never alienate the audience from his character making for one of the end scenes between him and Eisenberg really work well. Other than Eisenberg maybe the best performance is given by Martin Star as Eisenbergs friend Joel who is able to be a source of reason while never being able to figure out his own problems.

Adventureland is about discovering love, disappointment, failed expectations and simply what it is like to be a twenty something both now and in 1987. Had I seen this film before I made my top 25 of the decade it would have been in there. So consider it an honorary inductee and my third 5 star movie.

*****