Adventureland
Miramax Films | Release Date: April 3, 2009
7.3
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 352 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
257
Mixed:
63
Negative:
32
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
4
JoeSApr 5, 2009
Adventureland doesn't deserve the praise it is getting - uneven tone; mostly cliched characters and dialogue; overdone gags. For being a film about an amusement park, there is nothing really amusing about it. It flatlines from theAdventureland doesn't deserve the praise it is getting - uneven tone; mostly cliched characters and dialogue; overdone gags. For being a film about an amusement park, there is nothing really amusing about it. It flatlines from the start and there are no dips or curves along the way. I give it a 4 for the few moments that actually had some charm and promise -- mostly when no one was speaking and the soundtrack was doing all the work.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
4
EdBApr 15, 2009
The film had many serious flaws. The director could have tightened up the film and made it 20 minutes shorter so it moved more quickly. And the cinematography was poor in choice of shots and some lighting. The main characters were all a The film had many serious flaws. The director could have tightened up the film and made it 20 minutes shorter so it moved more quickly. And the cinematography was poor in choice of shots and some lighting. The main characters were all a little too self absorbed, but that's typical of late teen behavior. It could have been much better with direction from an adult point of view rather than a teen point of view. The perspective would have given it some much needed air.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
6
Cotts1988May 19, 2011
Not exactly hilarious, but it does have some funny moments. I would not class this as a comedy personally anyway, despite its comedic overtones. Adventureland is a good film, but not great.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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5
SummersausageJan 7, 2013
Eh, it was a cute indie movie that had funny side characters. It was almost about a lot more then teenaged love and then i became soap opera quality toward the end. This is nobody's best movie.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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5
Tss5078Feb 22, 2013
From the Director who brought us Paul and Superbad, comes Adventureland, which unfortunately is just another predictable, run of the mill comedy. Jesse Eisenberg stars as a kid whose forced to get a summer job at a local amusement park with aFrom the Director who brought us Paul and Superbad, comes Adventureland, which unfortunately is just another predictable, run of the mill comedy. Jesse Eisenberg stars as a kid whose forced to get a summer job at a local amusement park with a wacky cast of characters. Of course the only other normal one working there, just happens to be the girl that he falls for. Bill Hader plays the boss and he should be writing and starring in films like this instead of playing secondary characters. Hader is one of the funniest and most underrated comedians in Hollywood and I can honestly say that he is the only reason to watch this movie, because the rest of the cast is just dull and uninspired. Eisenberg gives another flat and emotionless performance, while co-star Kristen Stewart plays along as if she were still one of the undead. I generally like most of the cast and I thought the story was decent, but overall Adventureland is just another predictable lame duck comedy. It will give you a few laughs, but don't expect too much more.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
JimF.Apr 4, 2009
Given my affection for "Superbad" and the stream of laudatory pre-release notices, "adventureland" has to be considered a disappointment. It's entertaining and always watchable; the actors, particularly Jesse Eisenberg, are appealing;Given my affection for "Superbad" and the stream of laudatory pre-release notices, "adventureland" has to be considered a disappointment. It's entertaining and always watchable; the actors, particularly Jesse Eisenberg, are appealing; and the recreation of mid-80's middle America is convincing, nuanced,and sharply observed. But I didn't find any of these characters interesting or revealing as people, and as a coming-of-age love story, it not only lacks transcendence-it doesn't even seem to believe in it.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
JackDSep 1, 2009
I expected something funny (hence the low rating). This felt like a typical summer for most normal middle class kids. It was TOO realistic. I felt like I was watching someone's home video/diary of their summer after undergrad. It had I expected something funny (hence the low rating). This felt like a typical summer for most normal middle class kids. It was TOO realistic. I felt like I was watching someone's home video/diary of their summer after undergrad. It had some funny scenes and awkward moments, but in the end, I didn't really care what happened. I'm not sure who the audience was, but I guess I wasn't it. I gave it a 5 because if you grew up in the 80s and your parent's didn't have a camcorder, this is the perfect movie.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
TDKinDallasMay 12, 2009
Disappointed. Pretty much the whole movie is nothing new, enjoyable enough, what I was expecting and then they throw in a happy ending??? Not just a happy ending, but a completely unbelievable hollywood style happy ending.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
RyanM.Aug 26, 2009
I was excited to see this film and liked the quirky, odd, funny Superbad. But this movie is dull and isn't too creative. Basic normal teen angst stuff from the 80's. Typical and mundane. Not many funny scenes and Eisenberg is I was excited to see this film and liked the quirky, odd, funny Superbad. But this movie is dull and isn't too creative. Basic normal teen angst stuff from the 80's. Typical and mundane. Not many funny scenes and Eisenberg is annoying trying to be Cera, though he is not. Stewart's performance wasn't bad at least and had some true moments. Overall poor development of characters, to the point where nothing is heartfelt and you end up not caring for any of them. Huge disappointment. And an obvious way for the director to relive his favorite tunes from the era. Next time make yourself a mix tape and spare us this unentertaining borefest.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
AlexGAug 26, 2009
Holy overrated much? This film was a supreme disappointment. It felt like it wanted to be something it wasn't, and that something has already been done to death. Think Dazed and Confused for the 80s, but entirely unfunny and without any Holy overrated much? This film was a supreme disappointment. It felt like it wanted to be something it wasn't, and that something has already been done to death. Think Dazed and Confused for the 80s, but entirely unfunny and without any interesting characters...or perhaps an early Kevin Smith film...if those films weren't great. I agree with Tyler H as well. Can we please find a passive aggressive, cute pushover dude furnace and kindly insert Jesse Eisenberg, Micheal Cera, Jason Biggs (wait did we already throw him?) and maybe even Jason Bateman? There's nothing remotely engaging about this character type! Romantic leads can still show personality and cleverness or even be an asshole at times! Give me Ferris Beuller or give me death! I miss you John Hughes!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
Maxwell1Dec 4, 2011
I expected this to be a much better movie, but it seems very gloomy and only had a few very funny moments. The characters also seemed very drained, and they made the movie very difficult to sit through till the end.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
Bruce722Oct 27, 2013
Adventureland was a lot better film than I anticipated. The summary sounds incredibly boring, which it is. There is really no excitement or anything overly engaging about the film. However, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and the rest ofAdventureland was a lot better film than I anticipated. The summary sounds incredibly boring, which it is. There is really no excitement or anything overly engaging about the film. However, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and the rest of the cast make for an interesting story. Their characters are really well developed and how all of them mesh together during a summer of non-fun in the 1980's is intriguing. Eisenberg and Stewart play the same exact roles they do in every single film I've ever seen them in. Eisenberg is a neurotic but witty guy with self-esteem issues and Stewart is a beautiful but troubled young woman with emotional issues. They definitely don't go outside the box for their roles but they have mastered their niche archetypes. All-in-all, this isn't the most entertaining movie around but it has a certain charm to it. The characters feel real, the music takes you back in time to a more pure era, and the story is relatable to just about everyone.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
metzlerJan 2, 2012
This movie was so boring I watched it over the course of three nights and fell asleep on two of the three. When a director wants to inflict boredom to the point of pain on his audience, he calls Jesse Eisenberg. I'm quite sure I actually fellThis movie was so boring I watched it over the course of three nights and fell asleep on two of the three. When a director wants to inflict boredom to the point of pain on his audience, he calls Jesse Eisenberg. I'm quite sure I actually fell asleep twice due to the fact that my brain needed MORE stimulation. Eisenberg isn't good looking, isn't a good actor, isn't interesting so once again it evidently seems to come down to the perks of being jewish in Hollywood. If you choose to watch this movie my best advice is to brew a couple of liters of coffee for each person watching the movie.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
amheretojudgeSep 22, 2018
smooth and mediocre with a taste of teenage dream..

Adventureland Adventureland is a plot driven romantic comedy about a guy saving for his college ends up on a low level job where he finds the girl of his dreams. With a tightly packedsmooth and mediocre with a taste of teenage dream..

Adventureland Adventureland is a plot driven romantic comedy about a guy saving for his college ends up on a low level job where he finds the girl of his dreams. With a tightly packed screenplay and running for around 100 minutes, the feature runs smooth and mediocre with a taste of teenage dream version that draws in most of its viewers. Its humor isn't in bulk, it is mildly funny that draws in few chuckles here and there which is better than forcibly imputing sketchy sequences that questions its integrity. The primary reason why it works on intellectual level is how it depicts the social verbal sparrings and equation among the colleagues. Addition to that, it also gets the chain of gossiping correctly, the procedure of how a news spread is projected brilliantly. It is short on technical aspects like background score, cinematography and camera work although the songs are uplifting along with fine editing especially since there are these many characters and each have their own baggage and sub-plot tracks. On performance level, there isn't much range offered to the actors to flaunt in their skills on screen and factor in effectively. Eisenberg is fast as always, with an eerie Stewart and slick Reynolds supporting them throughout the course with week investments. The narrative is sharp and mature, with gripping and smooth sequences that are piled up one by one in front of the viewers but at the end of the day it all runs on plethora of cliches. Mottola's execution is far better than its scattered script, if anything it surpasses it on a much larger margin no matter how easy and simple it could have been. Adventureland might be a forsaken land on terms of creativity and originality and as far as adventure is concerned all you have to do is tone down your expectations a bit.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021
This is somewhat of a coming of age movie that some teens will enjoy, although its quite a slow movie and it certainly isn't jam packed with laughs, its more of a slow drama with one or two small bits of humour interspersed. The movie isThis is somewhat of a coming of age movie that some teens will enjoy, although its quite a slow movie and it certainly isn't jam packed with laughs, its more of a slow drama with one or two small bits of humour interspersed. The movie is advertised as coming from the people who brought us 'Superbad', which isn't a movie I've seen or particularly wanted to see but from what I know, that is a different type of movie to this, so be aware of that.

This is quite a subtle movie, one thats really more for teens and young adults than any other audience I think. No doubt some people will be curious to see it as it stars Kristin Stewart, aka Bella in the Twilight movies and in this movie she plays one of the main characters and I think she gives quite a good performance, playing the rather nonchalant Emma, who's vulnerability she keeps hidden quite well until quite far along in the movie.

Jesse's character, James, is also quite quirky, he's not too sure of himself and makes some mistakes which is where Emma steps in. There are other characters, the most memorable, in my opinion, being the couple who seem to own the amusement park, who almost seemed a little spooky in their personalities somehow, though im not entirely sure how. The characters in this movie are a little over exaggerated I think, which gives the movie a bit of a sort of comic book feel to it in a sense, its hard to explain well without seeing it but I think this is something that's somewhat common with Superbad, which the director Greg Mottola also worked on.

Ultimately the movie concentrates on James trying to fit in with other similar teens from the area who work at the park and on his friendship/relationship with Emma, who, it turns out, is hiding her fair share of secrets. There are the usual social mis fit characters, some loud mouth bullies that try to get James sacked etc etc., its not exactly original, although thats not to say that its a really bad movie.

I'm not sure that I'd really recommend it, though teens might enjoy it in part, there are funnier and more poignant movies out there I reckon. It'd be worth a watch if its on TV but otherwise, I don't know that its really worth paying much to see. I think some people, particularly fans of Kristin Stewart, will enjoy it quite alot while others wouldn't think much of it really.

I couldn't think of a great deal to say but thats how I see it anyway. I've had a bit of a bad cold for the last week or so, hence not posting a review last week so this week I really wanted to try and get back to it, so I hope this review still helps somehow, though its probably not as good as other reviews. Either way, thanks for reading and thanks for any and all rates.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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