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???It's weird seeing an Apatow-influenced comedy without crowning, unkempt penises and Seth Rogen.
???It's also refreshing.
???Greg Mottola's Adventureland is a nonchalant, '80s themed, coming-of-age affair that's as excruciatingly awkward as it is vibrant in emotion and reality. A drama in comedic tights, Adventureland is gripping, well acted and, least importantly, funny without ever throwing a punch line.
???Set in the summer of 1987, the film follows well-read and intelligent dreamer James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg, The Education of Charlie Banks) throughout his first summer of post-bachelor study.
???After his best friend and future big-city roommate Eric leaves him for a summer abroad and his father takes a pay cut, thereby threatening James's graduate study at Columbia University, James is left with no choice but to find a summer job to try and salvage his dreams of journalism and grad school in New York City.
???Deemed unfit for even manual labor, James resorts to working at the aged and retroactive theme park Adventureland. This is where we see James ride, fall and queue in love, anxiously awaiting the proverbial fireworks at night's end.
???Though a nice story in itself, the superb acting and casting of James's eclectic group of coworkers propels a modest script into an undeniable study of love, lust, discontent and growing up. All adding vivid strokes to a colorful cast of characters, no one shines brighter than the laidback and undeniably seductive Kristen Stewart (Twilight).
???Playing Em Lewin, the unhappy and oft-used love interest to Eisenberg's James Brennan, she seamlessly falls for and falls out with James without ever drifting away from believability. Stewart has really come into her own as an effortless beauty and female lead, ditching Twilight's overacting for subtle nuances that'll make any man's heart flutter and any story empirically stronger.
???Scenes between Stewart and Eisenberg soar as Eisenberg's Michael Cera-esque naivety and desert-dry wit mesh flawlessly with Stewart's red and green lit cat-and-mouse, creating a cringe-worthy awkwardness that's as fun as it is hard to bear.
???Also adding volumes to the composition is Apatow bit man Martin Starr, who plays James's closest co-worker friend Joel. Resembling a Caucasian take on Taylor Negron circa Angels in the Outfield, Starr brings a sad humility to Joel's Russian literature-obsessed heart. Hilarious and knee deep in realism, Starr's performance is one that sticks.
???Die-cut funnyman Ryan Reynolds (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) takes a turn from his normal slapstick by playing the aging, womanizing engineer Mike Connell. Entering with a subtle finger point and fading with an embellished anecdote on his reality, Reynolds goes from a funny James Dean to a sad and discontented failure. His low-key performance is vital to the script and proves that he is more than a set of abs and corny jokes.
???Also memorable is Matt Bush as Tommy Frigo, James's bandanna-donning, shockingly immature, sack-tapping neighbor. Using up those leftover minutes from all of those AT&T commercials he starred in, Bush provides more than enough fodder for James's unfortunate occurrences and eventual moving on.
??? Rounding out the stellar support is current SNL power player Bill Hader. Playing the lovable yet slightly deranged, mustached owner of Adventureland, Hader steals the show in his limited screen time with an absurd amount of pride in his establishment and genuine love for his employees. An underused star on the rise, Hader's comedic talent is undeniable.
???In a cinematic age of raunch and one-liners, every character in Adventureland has heart and hostility, without ever being vulgar or obscene. Everyone matters, from James to Joel, from Em to Sue, the redheaded spitfire that causes pain and pleasure in miniscule minutes. Even the smallest role lingers.
???Writer and director Greg Mottola masterfully captures the highs, lows, and awkwardness of growing up and falling in love with suavely subtle humor and raw-fed emotion. Drawing from personal experiences, every bit of pain, every puff of pot smoke and every misstep is gripping and vicarious.
???Though slow to start, Mottola's sweet cinematic sonata has legs and a certain spot to snuggle up to in your chest.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
