It's a love story

Baby, just say yes! Just kidding, this is not a Taylor Swift review (although I could give you a one-word review: awesome.). This is actually a review for "Adventureland" - my brother's fiance's dad (I will be so glad when most of that is shortened to sister-in-law!) reminded us often before we saw the movie that though it may seem to be a slacker comedy, it's a love story. And so it was...

The movie opens in 1987 at a commencement weekend at Oberlin College where our hero, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has graduated with a degree in something like romantic poetry. He has been informed by his parents that due to a salary cutback, they can no longer pay for his graduation trip to Europe nor his fall apartment in NYC and that he must move home to Pittsburgh and find a job to fund his grad school enrollment at Columbia. He can't find a job since he has no experience and an un-marketable major, but he ends up working in Games at the local amusement park (Adventureland), where no experience is necessary. From there he makes new friends, falls in love, and earns little money. Ah, being 22 in the '80's...
The movie is super-sweet, predictable, and very funny. The breakout star is Frigo (played by Matt Bush, you know him as the older son from the AT&T old rollover minutes commercials). He is HILARIOUS as Brennan's best friend (until he turned 4) and his reference for the job at Adventureland. This kid has a future. I liked Jesse Eisenberg in the lead role, but with co-stars such as Martin Starr, Ryan Reynolds, and Bill Hader, you kind of wonder if this role was supposed to be for Michael Cera or someone in that pantheon. Still he was good and believable. I also liked the 1980's setting...I assume this is the time when writer/director Greg Mottola worked at the amusement park that inspired the movie. It gave it some authenticity since it wasn't finding a way to update it for the '00's. Like - this is exactly how he remembered it. Music and all.
Criticisms - I mean, you kind of figure where it's going end up, although the end kept me guessing a little bit. Kristen Stewart played the main love interest (Em Lewin) and while her emotions felt real, I wasn't really into her method of acting. Meaning, she spent a lot of time tossing her hair for effect and kept her hands near her face to convey the emotion that her face couldn't get to. It was weird. I'll be interested to see if she does this in "Twilight" as well...
Overall - very fun movie and very glad I saw it. Definitely recommended.

We also saw some great previews for "Funny People" - 3rd Judd Apatow film starring Adam Sandler, "Away We Go" - an indie film with John Krasinski and Maya Rudoplh starring as a pregnant couple, and "Hungover" - starring Zach Galifinakis, Ed Helms, and Bradley Cooper at a Las Vegas bachelor party gone awry. I want to see all of them!!!

Some things to look forward to...I had Mother's Day lunch yesterday with my husband and in-laws at Sullivan's and this Saturday we're headed to see "Rent" and have dinner at the Backstage Steakhouse. Last night, we went out to Stubb's to see a show, so I may give you my thoughts on that as well. I'm also hoping to see "Star Trek" and "Wolverine" this week, but who knows...