Adventureland

In the mould of Juno and 500 Days of Summer comes this 1980s slant on the rom-com genre.

Jessie Eisenberg stars as James - the nerd - who is lost in a mess of life opportunities but clueless on how to act on them. When he finds work at Adventureland, a lame small-town theme park, he meets Em (played by Kristen Stewart) who is in a whole world of confusion herself. As the two become close, it is clear that their backgrounds have impacted their lives more than they would care for and as outside factors do their best to ruin their relationship, it is up to the two of them to finally make something positive happen in their complicated lives.

Setting the film in 1987 seems odd for a style of film better suited to modern times, what with the Indie scene so thriving with films like Juno and 500 Days of Summer being such prominent examples of pop culture dictating relationships. Whilst the soundtrack certainly provides a familiar edge here, it doesn't exactly complement the story or any particular scenes as well as in the aforementioned titles.

The premise is yet another 'nerd falls in love with cute girl' piece and Stewart's brooding aura certainly helps create a barrier for her man to break down if he is to win her over, passed her dark and broken past but there rarely seems to be any doubt as to the film's outcome but that could be said for any in the same field.

No performances stand out, perhaps due to the goofy nature of the piece or because there is never any real depth to any of the characters, instead all that is presented is a set of archetypal teen figures, none of which would really benefit from an exhaustive back history. Whilst this is not necessarily a negative notch against the film as a whole there is a lack of depth to the characters and the audience rarely feels a bond with any of players on display.

For what it's worth, Adventureland is an enjoyable fare. The only real problem is that it never excels in any department and thus suffers as a result.

7/10