A case of high expectations meeting with mixed results: Watching Adventureland, director and screenwriter Greg Mottola‘s semi-autobiographical account of his summer from hell, for the first time. The raucous, highly juvenile teen comedy set in the 1980s from the director of the vulgarly sweet Superbad, as its theatrical run and subsequent DVD release advertisements strongly suggest, isn’t actually all that raucous, juvenile, or vulgar. What it did become was head-scratchingly confusing.

A case of leveled expectations met with shock, awe, and utter respect for the creator of a heartfelt and superbly acted drama with bursts of hilarity: The second, third, and fourth experiences with Adventureland, director Greg Mottola’s not quite perfect, but by no means bad third full-length feature. If one is able to throw their Superbad and Judd Apatow notions far into the wind before watching this film, they’ll be better for it. This is not Knocked Up and it isn’t Role Models; it would, in truth, be difficult to classify this film as an outright comedy at all.

The story is simple: James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) takes up a low-paying job as a games lackey in a local amusement park when money starts running tight in his family. He aims to head off to New York to pursue his post-graduate studies in journalism. It is during his work at Adventureland that he meets the conflicted, yet assured Em (played earnestly by Kristen Stewart), socially awkward but sincere Joel (Freaks and Geeks alumnus Martin Starr), and the cool but complex Connell (Ryan Reynolds in what might be his best role). The premise concerns the archetypal incidences within a dramedy set in the 1980s: Love found, love lost, true characters unfurled, Dad’s drinking, Mom’s intolerance, and the omnipresent quest for sex, but the proceedings are compiled with such love and compassion that they are difficult to pass off in one viewing. A key component to Adventureland’s success lies in its remarkable cast. Eisenberg’s character is awkward and self-conscious, but never passive. He and Reynolds both bring a wrenching honesty to the screen that evoke pity and empathy as much as they induce revulsion. Stewart takes her brooding persona to effective heights, realizing a character that is never truly comfortable in her skin, taking chances at appearing awkward for the sake of stripping bare the emotional layer between audience and fictitious being. Even smaller players, especially Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, make the most out of rather stereotypical boss figures. In the little screen time he receives, Hader is able to convince his audience that, as boorish as his amusement park manager may be, he has a soft spot for horse-racing games. There’s a great scene where he announces, Kentucky Derby style, a small carnival game, and manages to be more endearing than most tent-pole pictures released this summer.

What then, of the film itself? Mottola is comfortable in his direction, making time for silence and cinematic gestures. This evolution from the static camera in his earlier material illustrate not only his abilities as a director (using space and lighting to evoke a bittersweetness throughout), but also his sharpened wit with the pen. As opposed to the block-less riffing inherent in Apatow produced features, characters take their time to really communicate. There’s an instance where Stewart confronts a coworker in response to her anti-Semitic views. Where any other picture would use this opportunity to utilize a monolithic speech reminiscent of the stage, Stewart’s character fumbles; as in any real-life experience, at times we don’t think of the right thing to say. More often than not, our brilliant lines are skewed by fear and adrenaline.

Greg Mottola has established himself as an auteur with Adventureland. Though the film is far from perfect, there is so much potential in its celluloid that warranting a promising fourth feature is an understatement. The director has proven throughout his career, from Daytrippers and Superbad to his stints directing episodes for the short-lived television series Undeclared, that he can measure sincerity and outright hilarity appropriately and in good taste. We have weaned ourselves on Apatow-branded bursts of vulgarity teamed with moments of sincerity to serve as our modes of laughter while smaller, subtler and ultimately more rewarding comedy practiced by the likes of Wes Anderson (Rushmore) and Mike Mills (Thumbsucker) have slipped under the radar and into the hands of appreciative film lovers. To hammer the point home, Adventureland is no Superbad. What it is, however, is a bona fide display of heart and passion that, despite its missteps in pacing, embraces and challenges its actors and audience.

(8.0/10)