Adventureland
When James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) meets the beautiful but seemingly unattainable ride operator, Lisa P., for the first time, he uses the line, “My reputation precedes me.” It’s a simple, awkward moment8212;and one of many8212;that make “Adventureland” unique.
But the line, though it applies to James’ character perfectly, also applies just as well to writer-director Greg Mottola. Every advertisement and every trailer touts “Adventureland” as the new comedy from the director of “Superbad.” The two films certainly have the common theme of young people trying to find love, but they couldn’t be more different in the way the story is presented.
While “Superbad” took the raunchier route, focusing on Jonah Hill and Michael Cera’s awkward attempts at getting laid, “Adventureland” takes a more subdued approach. It opens things up for a more emotional8212;but still hilarious8212;story set in the summer of 1987.
Brennan has just graduated from college with plans of traveling across Europe, only his parents can’t afford to send him, so instead he’s forced to take a job as a game operator at a local amusement park. He begins to fall for a co-worker named Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart), but it’s a lot harder than he thought.
Eisenberg and Stewart have spectacular chemistry and it’s fun to watch the two of them on screen. Excellent comedic actors Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Reynolds and Martin Starr round out the rest of the cast. This could have easily slipped into the slapstick, d***-joke filled territory of “Superbad,” but Mottola is going for something different here. By casting comedic actors in a somewhat dramatic film, the humor is able to find a way to the surface naturally without being forced or overplayed. There is still a number of hysterical moments and everyone does a spectacular job8212;especially Stewart.
The only minor fault is Hader and Wiig’s roles as the park-operating married couple. They’re both funny, but it feels like they were shoehorned into the story in case it needed comic relief. It doesn’t take anything away from the main story, but it doesn’t add anything either. It would have worked just as well without them.
Sunshine Cleaning
It’s not too often that a weak, clunky story with dangling plot threads like “Sunshine Cleaning” can overcome such big obstacles. Of course, most movies don’t have Amy Adams and Emily Blunt in the lead roles.
Rose Lorkowski (Adams) and her sister Norah (Blunt) start a crime-scene clean-up business after Mac (Steve Zahn), a married cop that Rose is having an affair with, tells her there’s big money in it. They decide on the delightful name of Sunshine Cleaning and dive in headfirst.
There are a few clichés8212;such as getting involved in the lives of the deceased and the quirky grandpa (Alan Arkin) bonding with his unique grandchild (à la “Little Miss Sunshine”)8212;but there is a solid story in there somewhere. It just takes a few minutes for you to locate it. Christine Jeffs8212;who also directed the 2003 Sylvia Plath biopic, “Sylvia”8212;has trouble deciding whether she wants the drama or the humor to come across more, and her indecisiveness makes the whole thing a little bit bumpy. The script could have also used a few more drafts to help streamline the story, but it’s a fantastic start for first-time scribe Megan Holley.
There are unresolved plot points sticking out left and right and a few too many unanswered questions, but the charisma displayed by the trio of Adams, Blunt and Arkin is just about enough to forgive all of that. All three of them have talent to spare and use it in full force here. Adams and Blunt are particularly great together and their relationship and performance is what keeps the film from going off the rails entirely. Arkin plays ultimately the same character he did in “Little Miss Sunshine” (which isn’t surprising as both films share the same producers), but he’s just as good here as a cynical hustler, always on the lookout for a get-rich-quick scheme.
“Sunshine Cleaning” could have been much worse, but the strong cast manages to hold everything together for a dark, funny film. Adams and Blunt remind everyone once again that they both have very bright futures.
Adventureland
Sunshine