Adventureland
Miramax Films | Release Date: April 3, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
30
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
A sweet, sharp coming-of-age romance, Adventureland is a little warmer, a little funnier and a lot more truthful than the last 20 or 30 of its ilk. Especially its Hollywood ilk. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
For nostalgia junkies, it's one from the heart. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Jesse Eisenberg stars as a kinder, gentler version of the insufferable faux intellectual he played in "The Squid And The Whale." Read full review
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
A young adult romantic comedy with a sweetness and delicacy that lifts it out of its genre. Read full review
90
Village VoiceScott Foundas
I've seen Mottola's movie twice, and both times, it has inspired feelings of joy, sadness, and a profound yearning for the unrecoverable past. Read full review
90
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Thanks to an exceptionally deft touch, Mottola manages to capture the absurdity and anguish of young adulthood, while never sacrificing meaning on the altar of crude humor. Read full review
90
SlateDana Stevens
Has the note-perfect melancholy of a classic young adult novel. Read full review
88
PremiereKrista Soriano
On the surface, this might look like a typical teen movie, but Adventureland’s talented cast perfectly portrays the self-loathing and strong-minded characters in that transient post-college stage of life. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The result is a sharp, insightful, charming motion picture. Read full review
88
New York PostKyle Smith
The details are true and funny, played brilliantly. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
A bittersweet joy. Its humor and romance are refreshing because the writer-director, Greg Mottola, realizes that maturity is a two-steps-forward, one-step-backward process. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
What makes the movie such an unexpectedly potent little number is that Adventureland comes to stand for Stagnationland; the real roller coaster (i.e., life) is just outside the park. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDuane Byrge
With a keen affection for his own formative years, filmmaker Greg Mottola has crafted a funny and spunky amusement Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Greg Mottola has taken that most overdone of contemporary genres, the coming-of-age story, and made it engaging, bittersweet and even fun. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Somehow the story of a young man's coming of age never gets old, at least when it is told with the kind of sweetness and intelligence Adventureland displays. Read full review
80
The New YorkerDavid Denby
Infinitely charming new romantic comedy. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A confident return to the kind of teen comedy that's funny without being raunchy, youthful without being juvenile, and reflective without hitting you over the head. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
What surprised me was how much I admired Kristen Stewart, who in "Twilight," was playing below her grade level. Here is an actress ready to do important things. Together, and with the others, they make Adventureland more real and more touching than it may sound. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Mottola also wrote the screenplay, which is most fresh and honest when dealing with supporting characters. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Mottola softens his approach, and Adventureland turns out to be more like "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" than a Judd Apatow creation. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Mixes the intimate, indie vibe of "Daytrippers" with the absurdist screwball streak of "Superbad," to winning effect. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Yes, the delight of this movie lies in these devilish details, and it's clear that writer-director Greg Mottola knows them well. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The laughs in Adventureland aren't as outlandish as those in "Superbad," but they seem more based in experience and truth. You could want something more raucous, I suppose, but that wouldn't necessarily be an improvement. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
This film makes you wonder why aren't there more young love movies? Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineCammila Albertson
Delightful because it's intensely sincere. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
A rather ordinary account of youthful summer misadventures that goes down easily thanks to a sparky cast, more than 40 pop tunes that anchor the action in the late '80s and characters who get high both on and off their jobs at a tacky amusement park. Read full review
70
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Mottola (who also wrote the script) and his actors manage to shape the movie into something whole and tangible, capturing, among other things, the shapeless listlessness of summer, especially at that age when you're technically an adult and yet you're left waiting for life to begin. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Funny, smart, and complacent. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Adventureland throws a lot at us, but not enough of it sticks. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Mottola, who wrote and directed 1996's "The Daytrippers," crafts smart, witty dialogue. But the movie suffers in tone. While much of the story feels like a brainier John Hughes comedy, it veers into more dramatic terrain and loses focus. Read full review
60
Film ThreatScott Mendelson
What separates Adventureland from something like "Garden State" is a commitment to realism and plausibility. In fact, at times, it is almost too realistic given the location's inherent value as a comic prop. For a film set primarily in an amusement park, it isn't terribly amusing. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
There's no shortage of felicitous lines or interesting performances, yet the movie, like the amusement park of its title, feels constructed from familiar parts. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
Adventureland has the structure of a Tilt-a-Whirl ride: It goes where you expect, and may fill you with dread. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Harmless enough, but "indie comedy" sounds like something better seen at Urban Outfitters than at a movie theater. Read full review
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