The first coming of age film is here and it is in the form of Adventureland. Back in the day a coming of age film used to be all about the emotion and the angst, but in more recent times it seems whilst they have kept the angst they have swallowed a Thesaurus along with it and it seems to have been since the introduction of those Dawson kids that lived near that creek. Maybe I'm cynical and old now but I know I never talked like that, however it seems to be a trend that has continued and if you have had the misfortune of watching Riverdale then you will know exactly what I mean.
So yes, I described this film as an intellectual coming of age film, that is loosely based on the experiences of the director/writer, Greg Mottola. He apparently worked at the original Adventure Land in New York, which as a trivia quirk is actually featured in an advert in the closing credits.
Its difficult with coming of age films, as by nature they are obviously written to provoke emotion and resonance within the viewer, that can result in a hit or miss connection with the story. Then you have the age aspect when watching, I'm pretty sure my gran wouldn't appreciate overly intellectual speaking pot heads facing the challenges of youth. The testament to a classic coming of age film is a narrative that is simple and applicable to most people and its when this becomes slightly to niche that you will start losing an unrelated audience. I would say Adventureland is somewhere in the middle, which has some part to do with the two lead actors. No one manages to deliver intellectual pomp speak with emotional angst quite like Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart.
At this point I will be honest with you all before I go any further, I have never been very enamoured with either of their acting abilities. Eisenberg is literally the same character in every film I have seen him in just with varying degrees of arrogance and Stewart manages to play a character I just have zero empathy for.
The opening of the film introduces the story of James Brennan (Eisenberg) who has graduated High School with a view to travelling Europe before starting University. James' parents have hit financial crisis, not only can James travel Europe, he will need to get a summer job to finance going to University in NYC. Here begins the search for work, with the issues all of us have faced, you need experience to get a job which you can't get without securing a job. The result of this catch 22 is Adventureland where the staff are paid to do 'the work of morons'.
"Your life must be utter shit or you wouldn't be working here" - Joel (Martin Starr)
What struck me was the fun and enthusiasm the characters have when working such a crap job, that in my experience is spot on. We have all had that job where you have a connection with your co-workers and it becomes a way of life, the job still sucks, the money isn't enough, the hours are shit but as a staff collective it becomes almost like a family. For me this job was at Virgin Megastore and almost twenty years later I am still friends with some of my old work family. Watching this part of the film unfold and the interactions they all had whilst working just made me smile, brought back all the memories of my own experiences.
This is where we are introduced to the rest of the downtrodden staff of this 80's theme park. Joel, (Martin Starr) is by far my favourite character with his outcast geeky nature that he wears as a badge of honour, even to the extent of smoking a pipe. Starr's performance is the standout of all the cast, he nails every aspect perfectly and he was really the only character I had any emotional attachment to. Frigo, (Matt Bush) is James' oldest acquaintance that is clearly based on someone from the writers past. He is the delinquent comic relief that we have all known at one point or another, who on the whole is funny but there are one to many boner and bell tap jokes that do get a bit tiring. Lisa P, (Margarita Levieva) is the eye catching attractive, popular and confident and the target of all the guys that work at the park. I am going into a bit more detail with the ensemble cast purely because there are characters in this film that we can either all relate to or have all experienced at one point of our lives.
In addition to this we have Paulette & Bobby, (Kristen Wiig & Bill Hader) who's scenes were filmed in two days due to their commitments to Saturday Night Live. As seasoned comedy actors they bring the real humour with them, their comic timing and clear chemistry really are the comedy highlight throughout the film. Thats not to say they bring the only comedy but they do provide the real laugh out loud moments. Completing the notable cast and characters is Mike Connell, (Ryan Reynolds) who is the repairman with a penchant for younger ladies wooing them with his tales of alleged performance with Lou Reed.
'Satin Lives' - James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg)
'One of those textile worshipping cults no less' - Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart)
So back to our main two characters. Eisenberg is the epitome of pompous arrogance in this film. I suspect that James (Eisenberg) is supposed to be a hapless virgin who doesn't quite fit with the ladies, the nice guy finishes last type that can't believe his luck when he actually attains some success in that department. Eisenberg doesn
't achieve this and comes across as a arrogant, whining, spoilt weed of a guy that exudes no empathy or likability. I wouldn't say that its an awful performance, more that he just doesn't quite hit the mark. Em Lewin, (Kristen Stewart) is the films female lead who is the torment and love interest of James. There grows the relationship between the two, bonded by their love of music and Lou Reed, with James giving her a mixtape. Emotional back and forth, inevitable confrontation and heartbreak, leading into the final aspects of the film. Stewart's performance is actually not bad, you see her smile a real smile, but there are still the traits of her awful angsty acting that were honed and narrowed in the Twilight saga.
There are no surprises as to what happens, you can tell from the first half hour where the story is heading towards but the writing and directing give it the charm of being a good coming of age film. If you can get past the lack of chemistry between Eisenberg & Stewart, the lack of empathy for them both and the one to many dick jokes then it is a really well written and executed film. I had these issues playing on my mind whilst watching and still I enjoyed the film, so if these don't annoy you then you are in for an entertaining viewing.
Farquaad's Rating - 3 star or 6/10
IMDB - 6.8/10 (147,528)
Metascore - 76 (17 Critic Reviews)
תגובות