When you are leaving a cinema and in your mind you are planning what movie to bump from your ‘Best Movies Of All Time’ list so you can add the film that you just saw then it’s a pretty safe bet that the was pretty good. This was the dilemma that I found myself in after I saw ‘Adventureland’. There just wasn’t anything wrong with the film… it was simply perfect.

For James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) it feels like the world is falling apart. His plans of going to Europe for the summer before going to college fall in a heap when his father is demoted and withdraws his offer of cash. When he can’t find work anywhere else James takes a job at a dodgy fun park known as Adventureland. He is convinced he won’t enjoy his time there but surprisingly quickly makes friends with Em (Kristen Stewart), the witty but geeky Joel (Martin Starr), the embarrassing Frigo (Matt Bush) and the extremely attractive Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva). Soon James starts finding himself falling for Em but she has deep secret, she is having an affair with the married older man, Mike (Ryan Reynolds). The boring summer turns into a summer of fun, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll but will James be able to add love to that list.

Director/writer Greg Mottola takes a story from his own life and manages to capture the same magic he did with ‘Superbad’. The difference here is that Mottola reveals a very uncanny method of being able to mix just the right amount of drama and comedy to make the perfect film. The script here is absolutely amazing, one moment it will have you in tears and the next moment it will have you in fits of laughter.

This is the film that shows that there is substance in the acting styles of both Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. Eisenberg seems to have stolen a role that was made for Michael Cena but to his credit he makes the role his own and absolutely shines. Stewart also silences all the critics that have liked to put the boot in since ‘Twilight’ and shows that she can pull off a serious role very well indeed. Both pull off the emotions that surface during the love triangle storyline extremely well. I should also add that this is one of the first films I’ve seen where I’ve enjoyed Ryan Renolds’ perforamance. He finally found a role that he was suited to.

‘Adventureland’ is possibly one of the sleeper hits of the year. Maybe it’s the fact I’m a music lover or maybe I could identify just a little too much with this film but I found myself falling in love with this film more and more as every minute went by. So well written is ‘Adventureland’ that you will find yourself thinking of stories from your own past. This is a great film that consists of just enough drama and laughter to take it to that special place.

Dave Griffiths

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Normally when a film is being promoted as an ‘anti-love’ film it means one of the characters can’t find love but when they do their ‘anti-love’ stance in forgotten and the audience finds themselves floating down the stream that is yet another stereotypical romantic film. By the end of the film they fully converted and are now in love with being… um well… in love. But that certainly isn’t the case with ‘500 Days Of Summer’… this film takes a different turn and is certainly more ‘Juno’ than ‘The Ugly Truth’.

 

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt – ‘GI Joe: Rise Of The Cobra’, ‘Killshot’) is a romantic at heart but the only place he gets to let his feelings out is in his daily job as a greeting card writer. Tom is always looking for ‘The One’ but he is unlucky in love. Then one day the free-spirited Summer (Zooey Deschanel – ‘Yes Man’, ‘Gigantic’) walks into his workplace and soon into his life. Tom is ecstatic, he things he has finally found is ‘One’. But as the two head further into their ‘relationship’ it soon becomes clear that this isn’t going to be your ‘normal’ romance.

 

Director, Marc Webb (who previously has been a director for music videos) does a great job giving the film an ‘indie’ or ‘different’ feel. The cynics out there will say the style may have been ‘borrowed’ largely from ‘Juno’, however I felt that the graphics that set up the mood of the romance in each scene works really well. Another great little creative touch is the writer’s note at the start of the film… you will definitely find yourself having a little chuckle at it… but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet. Webb has also chosen to tell the story in a round-about order so it does take a little bit of work  for the audience to put it all together, but that is part of the charm of the film.

 

The most likable thing about ‘500 Days Of Summer’ though is that its lead roles have been cast extremely well. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel wouldn’t be most people’s first pick for the leads in a film like this but they pull it off really well. They suit their parts to a T, are a believable on-screen couple and an absolute joy to watch.

 

With its nice mixture of bitter irony and a touch of wit ‘500 Days Of Summer’ is one of those films that you can’t help but fall in love with. It is an enjoyable watch and well worth forking over your $15 to see.

Dave Griffiths

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