Additional InformationInspired by writer/director Greg Mottola's (SUPERBAD) own true-life job-from-hell experience, ADVENTURELAND stars THE EDUCATION OF CHARLIE BANKS' Jesse Eisenberg as an uptight recent college graduate who discovers that he'll have to get a degrading minimum-wage job at a local amusement park instead of spending his summer drinking German beer, visiting world-class museums, and flirting with cute French girls. It's the summer of 1987, and James Brennan (Eisenberg) has just graduated college. James is all set to embark on his dream tour of Europe when his parents (Wendie Malick and Jack Gilpin) suddenly announce that they won't be able to subsidise the trip. Now the only things James has to look forward to this summer are sugar-fueled children, belligerent dads, and an endless parade of giant stuffed animals. When James strikes up a relationship with captivating co-worker Em (Kristen Stewart, TWILIGHT, INTO THE WILD), however, he finally starts to loosen up. Suddenly, the worst summer ever doesn't seem quite so bad. ADVENTURELAND's talented cast also includes Ryan Reynolds (DEFINITELY, MAYBE), and KNOCKED UP cast members Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Martin Starr.
ReviewsHollywood Reporter - With a keen affection for his formative years, filmmaker Greg Mottola has crafted a funny and spunky amusement....Eisenberg is perfect as an intelligent and naive grad....Kristen Stewart is similarly sympathetic..., New York Times - [T]he 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., USA Today - ADVENTURELAND re-creates its era superbly....Eisenberg is excellent....He is a carnival of complex emotions, Wall Street Journal - [ADVENTURELAND] sets the goofiness of extended adolescence against the sadness of being adrift in the adult world. There's no shortage of felicitous lines or interesting performances..., Washington Post - 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, Time Out - As a sweet-natured character comedy û and a subtle exercise in generic boundary-pushing û this is a real charmer., Entertainment Weekly - Mottola, the director of SUPERBAD, works with rare feeling and flow. He shows every bit as loving and pinpoint-perfect an observational eye for the late '80s as George Lucas did for the end of the greaser era in AMERICAN GRAFFITI, Rolling Stone - The writer-director blends sassy and sad in the style of his 1996 debut, THE DAYTRIPPERS....Eisenberg and Stewart bring delicate emotion to their roles..., Los Angeles Times - [With] a talented cast led by Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart and a potent soundtrack....Engaging, bittersweet and even fun....ADVENTURELAND's recognizable satisfactions feel well earned, Box Office - Poignant, funny and touching....As a snapshot of a particular place, time and sensibility, ADVENTURELAND almost cannot help but succeed -- from the pitch-perfect '80s soundtrack to such gleefully entertaining supporting characters as Margerita Levieva's Lisa P..., Movieline - Stewart proves that her new starpower is grounded in actual acting ability, Total Film - Mottola's period piece is smartly observed, witty and well-acted, with recognisable characters we actually care about., Zoo - One of the year's coolest comedies!, GQ Magazine - It's beautifully written and sensitively acted, it's got a killer soundtrack.