Adventureland

If you’ve been holding out for the day that “Superbad” is remade as a melodrama, your day has finally come. Greg Mottola, who directed the 2007 hit summer comedy about two virgin high school seniors getting drunk and looking to get laid, doesn’t exhibit much originality as the writer/director of “Adventureland,” the sentimental tale of a virgin college graduate getting drunk, stoned, and (surprise) trying to get laid. “Adventureland” does boast some funny characters and a killer soundtrack, but the plight of the protagonist is taken too seriously, and “Superbad” fans might be disappointed to see the fun they love drained by unconvincingly tragic elements.

James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) is planning a summer Euro-trip with his affluent roommate before he packs his pencil for Columbia’s journalism school. Catastrophe strikes, however, when Dad is demoted and can’t foot the vacation bill. For the first time in his life, James has to find a job. No self-indulgent European jaunt for him—just Pittsburgh, tiny paychecks and “the work of pathetic, lazy morons.” James despises his job at Adventureland Amusement Park, but his summer brightens when he meets smart, funny co-worker Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart, “Twilight”).

The film tries to tackle more adult themes, such as true love and marital fidelity, but it retains a high school level of maturity in which boner jokes and punches in the nuts abound. Although the characters are allegedly four years older than the high schoolers of “Superbad,” they still binge drink until they puke, and there is little to distinguish Eisenberg’s awkward and soft-spoken virgin from that of Michael Cera (other than the fact that Eisenberg has a car to drunkenly drive into the neighbor’s hedge). When Mottola presents a 22-year-old who expects an expensive summer vacation and four years of graduate school on his parent’s dime while he gets high and drunk daily, it is easier to feel compassion for the parents.

The movie heads downhill when Em finds out that James kissed an attractive co-worker, James discovers Em has been sleeping with the married park mechanic, and Mottola asks us to stop laughing and start crying. “Adventureland” wants to explore the commitment struggles of two genuinely attached adults, but the theme park setting feels like a middle school as rumors bring about the breakup of the popular couple. “Superbad” succeeded because it laughed at the blatant immaturity of its protagonists and through that managed to arrive at a kernel of emotional charm. “Adventureland,” by contrast, never reaches this same endearment, though it aims more directly for dramatic conflict. Because the movie is set in a world of young adults rather than adolescent kids, it’s difficult to sympathize with James and Em’s irresponsibility.

The supporting characters and classic, youthful music keep the film enjoyable. Bill Hader (“Pineapple Express”) deepens his niche as hilarious bit actor with his role as Adventureland’s park manager, whose cool demeanor hides a violent inner aggression. His “Saturday Night Live” co-star Kristen Wiig makes confused faces with the best of them as his spacey wife.

The most loveable character could be Joel (Martin Starr), the bespectacled and barely mustachioed carnival stand attendant who considers himself less of a Jew and “more of an atheist, or existential nihilist.” At one point he hands his favorite piece of Russian literature to his romantic interest and explains that the author later went insane and committed suicide. While the rest of the principle characters act with egocentric ingratitude for what they have, Joel stands firm as the unlikely moral bedrock of the story.

In the film’s attempt to bridge adult drama with juvenile comedy, its one unequivocal success is the versatile soundtrack. The movie implies a setting in the 80s with a single shot of Reagan on a television screen, but period choice seems merely an arbitrary excuse to pepper the film with great songs from the era, including David Bowie’s “Modern Love,” The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” and The Outfield’s “Your Love.” The wistful pop of these years accompanies Mottola’s use of frequent pans and circling close-ups. The songs speak to carefree satisfaction as much as they hint to nostalgic sadness in the face of fading youth.

Just as the promises of adolescence gradually wither, the movie loses steam as it recedes into melodrama. When James applies to work at Adventureland, he asks for a job in rides but the manager hands him a games job instead, informing him of the cardinal rule of games: “Nobody ever wins a giant-ass panda.” Mottola handles his “Superbad” fans similarly; they’ll expect a cinematic carnival ride but they’ll leave having paid 10 dollars for a subpar attempt at rewarding entertainment.