Blu-Ray Review: Great Coming-of-Age Story in ‘Adventureland’

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CHICAGO – Jesse Eisenberg (“The Squid and the Whale”) and Kristen Stewart (“The Twilight Saga: New Moon”) star in the delightful and expertly written “Adventureland,” a slice of ’80s coming-of-age that truly delivers with clever dialogue, well-rounded characters, and excellent performances. One of the best comedies of the year is now available on Blu-Ray.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

Eisenberg stars as James Brennan, a guy stuck in that period between college graduation and adulthood. When the money falls through for a planned European vacation, he finds himself at the only job in his hometown, working games at the local theme park called Adventureland. It seems like a dead-end job, but he meets the people who will push him into the next phase of his life - the lovely-but-damaged Em (Kristen Stewart), good friend Joel (Martin Starr), and the kinda sleazy Connell (Ryan Reynolds).

Adventureland will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 25th, 2009.
Adventureland will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 25th, 2009.
Photo credit: Buena Vista Home Video

“Adventureland” is a film that could have easily been a cavalcade of small-town caricatures (and managers Bill Hader & Kristen Wiig sometimes approach that) but what separates the film is how lovingly and thoroughly writer/director Greg Mottola (“Superbad”) has drawn these characters. It’s easy to completely believe James, Em, Joel, and Connell, and those of you of the right age to appreciate the killer ’80s soundtrack and fashion will likely see some of your own young-adulthood in the emotional rollercoaster of “Adventureland”.

Adventureland will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 25th, 2009.
Adventureland will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 25th, 2009.
Photo credit: Buena Vista Home Video

To be blunt, I could have spent hours with the characters of “Adventureland” (a feeling enhanced by the best soundtrack of the year and a great score from the excellent Yo La Tengo). Eisenberg is good but Stewart gives the best performance of her career (sorry “Twilight” fans) as a girl who feels both like an archetype but also completely realized. We all knew an “Em”. And we all knew a “Connell,” the older guy who hangs out and claims to have “jammed” with a famous musician just to get in girl’s pants.

“Adventureland” works because it feels both believable and yet also completely familiar. There are millions of people having summers of weed, sex, and drama like the one in “Adventureland,” and yet Mottola’s excellent script never feels generic. It feels real.

It doesn’t hurt that Miramax has released a perfect Blu-Ray edition of the film with excellent technical specs and a wealth of special features.

“Adventureland” is pristinely presented in 1080p High Definition with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English 5.1 DTS-HD track. The audio is good but the video is truly remarkable with one of the most expertly balanced HD pictures of the season.

The copious special features on both the Blu-Ray and DVD include a commentary by Mottola and Eisenberg, a digital copy, “Picture Music Selection” (which allows the viewer to jump to their favorite song in the film), “Just My Life: The Making of Adventureland,” and deleted scenes. Blu-Ray exclusive features include “Frigo’s Taps - A Satiric “How To” On Inflicting Unexpected Pain,” “Lisa P’S Guide to Style,” and “Welcome to Adventureland - Adventureland Commercials, Orientation Training Video, Drug Policy”.

“Adventureland” had a very disappointing take in theaters (just over $16 million domestically) but I have rarely been more confident about how a film will be viewed in years to come than I am about this underrated gem. It’s one of the best coming-of-age films in years and will become a word-of-mouth hit on the home market. Don’t miss it.

‘Adventureland’ is released by Buena Vista Home Video and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Margarita Levieva, and Ryan Reynolds. It was written and directed by Greg Mottola. The Blu-Ray and DVD will be released on August 25th, 2009. It is rated R.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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