No, that's not Rob Pattinson.
From time to time, I'll call on fabulous former LA Girls Getaway Examiner Carly Milne to help me review DVDS, books, music and the like for the "On the Fly" section. Let's hear from Ms. Milne as she weighs in on her latest pop culture obsession:
Having been on a number of cruises, I've often found them to be packed full of so many activities and possibilities that lack of something to do is typically a non-issue. Enter my most recent cruise experience, which was plagued by rain—forcing everyone indoors for arranged fun. I don’t mind telling you I took great amounts of joy retreating to my cabin to watch DVDs I’d brought along with me… and this is where Adventureland comes in. It was the perfect movie to pass away a dreary travel day.
The story is simple and relatable. Imagined by Greg Mottola (the dude who is responsible for Superbad), Adventureland follows James (Jesse Eisenberg), who has to come to terms with the fact that his parents' debt is keeping him from spending the summer in Europe. Instead, he finds himself taking a job at an amusement park to save money for college. It’s here that he meets Em (Kristin Stewart) and a handful of other sarcastic and amusing co-workers, where they wile away the summer in droll and amusing ways while trying to figure out who in the hell they are… and what in the hell they want to do with their lives. Kids of the 80s will totally connect to it—not just for the music, but because everything about the settings and characters is blissfully dedicated to that decade.
Yet there’s a blissful lack of sophistication to the teenagers in this flick, especially in comparison to those in today’s teen movies. They’re not overconnected, oversaturated with media or overly adult for their age like they are now… and if you’re anything like me, it’ll definitely make you nostalgic for a simpler time. Of course, that isn’t to say the movie lacks sophistication—it tells the tale in a wonderful homage to 80s movies past, furthering that connection to the years of my youth. Of course, the DVD has a bunch of goodies on it to prolong your viewing enjoyment, such as a making of documentary, music videos (yes!) and awesome commentary from Mottola himself. So it’s well worth the dough, even if you’re not stuck on a cruise ship. This is definitely one to add to the permanent collection.
—Carly Milne
For more info: Buy "Adventureland" on Amazon.
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