Adventureland

Every now and then a movie comes along, "flawed" by a level of obscurity that causes mainstream movie audiences to shy away, yet filled with so much subtle charm it comes to find a special place in the hearts of the audience that chooses to embrace it.
Adventureland is this movie. No, Advenutreland is not a movie currently circulating the Carmikes and Regals found across the amber waves of grain, but I imagine if you were to stack it up against the current options at your local cinema, it would (should) unanimously be given the nod of approval. (That is until Sex & the City 2 orgasms into theaters next week. OMG...Carrie on!)

Adventureland is a fantastic little movie with rich, unique characters. It's the type of movie that earns the right to be ignored. In fact, It almost deserves to be ignored. So...what does that mean?
Well, the movie arrived to little fanfare and shitty marketing efforts -think Superbad Dos - last April. Yes, it's time in the spotlight of Hollywood has already come and gone (I suppose that automatically deducts three $ signs from my impending ranking of this movie, but so be it).
Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews from people that classify this act of writing about movies as their profession, it didn't do much at the box office, and it has fallen into its respective place in movie lore...a film deserving of its obscurity.

The plot follows recent Oberlin college grad James Brennan, portrayed excellently by Jesse Eisenberg of Zombieland fame, home to suburban Pittsburgh after learning that his graduation present/trip to Europe has been called off due to his Dad being demoted.
James ventures home for a summer of forced labor in order to save for an impending move to NYC and journalism grad school at Columbia.

Discovering that a college degree in English classifies him as unqualified for manual labor,
James is forced to find a job at the local "Adventureland" theme park. In one way or another, I feel like we have all been here.

We are introduced to the Adventureland staff, full of hilarious and bizarre characters, including Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as married co-managers of the park's young, unenthusiastic, party loving staff.
There's Joel, a Russian literature and Slavic languages major that totes a pipe, Frigo, James' childhood friend with a penchant for "double sack smacks", Lisa P., the park goddess, and Connell (Ryan Reynolds), a mechanic that appeals to younger girls with his good looks and tales of playing sets with Lou Reed.
Then there's Em. James quickly falls head over heels for Em as the summer progresses. Em (Kristen Stewart/sneaky hot) is an NYU student with sad eyes resulting from a recently deceased mother, a rich lawyer for a father, and a stepmom she despises. Oh, she's also sleeping with Connell on the side.
Em has never been in love with those she has slept with, has deep security issues, and generally hates herself. But James sees so much more in her, and despite being so guarded it's clear to see that she genuinely cares about him, too.

Without detailing too much of the movie, I can assure you that the result is a sweet, touching, hilarious, depiction of the transition we make when we are not quite sure "what's next." With deep, real characters, Adventureland sticks with you after you sit down and watch it.

So why does it deserve to be ignored? It's simple; the general movie going public doesn't deserve to be treated to a hidden gem like this.

So let people ignore this movie. Let them forget it with time. Adventureland has earned that right in my regard.
But, let those who appreciate it cherish it's quirkiness. Its dry humor. Its ability to make us relate to the uncertainty of the future. The incredible soundtrack that fits in each scene seamlessly. Let us applaud its incredible accuracy in capturing a strange era and placing a unique set of lovable characters in that moment in time. Its (few) cheap laughs. But more than anything let us appreciate Adeventureland's ability to capture the beauty of youth and dreams and the love that two people can share when those elements are mixed together.

Adventureland made me realize that something special can come from the grey areas in between if you let it. Maybe being a recent college grad in 1987 working at a rundown theme park, wouldn't have been all that bad? Maybe it could have been the time of your life? Maybe most people don't deserve to experience a feeling that liberating?

-Russell-
$$$$ (you should have seen it in theaters!)

Date Night

Without question, the funniest movie to come out in 2010 so far is Date Night. I, like everyone else in the world, LOVE Tina Fey and Steve Carell. I went in to this movie with mid-level expectations which were far exceeded. The movie is hilarious but it also has a nice story line. So much of the movie seems ad-libbed, which it may be, but it also really says something about the writing. (Note: stay for the credits and the bloopers which are almost funnier than the movie itself. Also, look for much more of Mark Wahlberg than the previews suggested, playing the typical role of himself without a shirt on.

Compared to other successful comedy movies that have come out in the past few years, this one absolutely measures up but it is far cleaner (not totally clean) and more family friendly (still PG-13) than all the rest. If you like these two great actors, comedians, and writers then you will like this movie. It is a definite go-see in my book.

$ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily