Have you ever bought a film not because of the plot or name, but because of the T-shirt that the people wear on the cover?
That’s why I bought Adventureland on blu ray! 😀
Years ago I saw this T-shirt which had the word games repeated on the front of it, but I never knew what it meant, where it was from, or anything about it. I saw that design a few times, and then I discovered it was from a film called Adventureland.
So I looked into the film, and found that it was a coming of age film, my favourite genre, so had to get it to see what it was all about.
It checks all the classic coming of age films boxes…It has a bunch of guys, some girls, it’s set in the Summer, with love, laughs and a pretty decent story.
What Adventureland Is About
The year is 1987 and James Brennen (Jesse Eisenberg) is set to have a Summer in Europe after leaving school. But as he graduates he learns his dad has to take a new position at his job, and earns less money, so cannot help him get to Europe.
He gets a part time Summer job at a local part called Adventureland, which is where the film centres. After the Summer he plans on going to New York with one of his friends.
He makes friends with Joel (Martin Star) one of the other guys who works there, who shows him the ropes.
He then finds a girl he likes, Em (Kristen Stewart), who he hangs around with a lot and goes out with. She works there to keep her out of the house, her dad is a rich lawyer and she’s going to NYU in New York after the Summer.
The handyman of the park, Connell (Ryan Reynolds) is also a part time musician who’s rumoured to have jammed with Lou Reed, and is married but thinks of himself as a ladies man.
He has been having a bit of a secret fling with Em.
There is also Lisa P, the girl who all the male workers at the park are attracted to, who James goes out with, to his surprise, which he later feels bad about as he cares for Em.
I won’t give more of the story away, but it is a really good film. It’s not one of the best coming of age films I’ve seen, but I do like it. The story is good, the characters are good too, with a nice sound track too.
It’s not got huge laughs in the film, but some lighter funny moments, and focuses more on the story line than cheap laughs.
It’s definitely worth watching if you like coming of age films.
About Michael
Michael Adams is the founder and editor of Michael 84, blogger from Newcastle, UK. Sharing men's fashion tips, style advice and lifestyle information for all guys.
