Adventureland 2009
This movie plays kind of like what happened on Fast Times at Ridgemont High that summer. Although we are introduced to an array of characters, most everything revolves around the main character (a budding writer, of course) in the early 80’s, about the same time that I was in his position. We see his parents, friends, cute girls, jerks, bosses, etc. as he suffers the indignity of working at a rundown amusement park for the summer and makes friends by sharing some really good pot that he has. Some of what happens is pretty funny, especially just about everything that concerns the married couple that runs the park (played by SNL actors), but this is more of a drama or character piece than a comedy. There are some good characters here and everything feels genuine, but I think where it fell short is by relying on the main character who at times can be likable, but also can be horribly immature and kind of a jerk. Overall the movie was worth watching, but it misses the mark a little bit.
Written: 04 Oct 2009