4 stars
Perfectly written, perfectly cast and perfectly brilliant, "Adventureland" is as good as it gets.
If you loved "Superbad" you won't want to miss this, because it also was written and directed by Greg Mottola. This show, however, is a little bit smarter and a whole lot sweeter than "Superbad." It also is every bit as funny.
The main character is James, played by the terrific Jesse Eisenberg from "The Squid and the Whale." He plans to move to New York to earn a master's degree in journalism, but his plans fall apart when his dad loses his job. Now James, too, needs to find a job %u2013 a summer job, anyway.
And so he eventually finds his way to the Adventureland amusement park, sort of a low-budget Six Flags, with rigged "games of chance," cheap prizes and rides that would make most people think twice before they bought tickets.
James ends up manning the "horse race" booth, where he shows so little enthusiasm his supervisor gives him lessons on keeping participants engaged. James quickly makes friends with the rest of the summer crew, including the troubled, bright Em (Kristen Stewart, "Into the Wild" and "Twilight"); maintenance man Connell (Ryan Reynolds), who allegedly once jammed with Lou Reed; and Joel (Martin Starr, "Superbad"), the intellectual who thinks he's doomed to be a loser.
James and Em strike up a fragile sort-of romance that will touch the hearts of pretty much anyone who's ever been in college. Or high school, for that matter. Watch the way these two performers interact. They truly possess chemistry, and they reveal their innermost thoughts even while they're trying to hide them from each other.
This movie has substance. It captures the era perfectly with characters that you want to know more about because you care about them. One of the weirdest and funniest characters in years is the annoying, omnipresent Frigo (newcomer Matt Bush), who was Jesse's best friend "and then I turned 4," he tells Connell.
Another of the stars is the mostly pounding soundtrack, which may leave you singing "Rock Me Amadeus," and hating yourself, after the movie.
You won't hate yourself for seeing the film, though. It's the best so far of a year that's been really strong in films. Go ahead %u2013 take in this grown-up adventure.
Director and screenwriter: Greg Mottola.
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Matt Bush, Margarita Levieva, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig and Martin Starr.
Rated: R for foul language, nudity, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and sexual situations.
Running time: 107 minutes.