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ADVENTURELANDMovie Reviews
Comedy about an uptight recent college grad who settles for a summer job at a local amusement park and ends up having quite an adventure and finding love in the most unlikely of places. Cast:Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Kristen Wiig, Bill HaderDirector:Greg MottolaRelease Date:April 3, 2009DVD Release:August 25, 2009From:MiramaxRating:RLength:1 hr 47 min
Adventureland played to very good reviews. • Connie Ogle wrote in the Miami Herald, "...sweet, surprisingly tender..." • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...a perfect storm of heart, humor, smart writing and spot-on casting." • And Steven Rea wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...mixes the intimate, indie vibe of 'Daytrippers' with the absurdist screwball streak of 'Superbad,' to winning effect." More Reviews Below...
Leah Rozen, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "Director-writer Greg Mottola ('The Daytrippers' and 'Superbad') admirably keeps a firm focus on his characters, giving each room to breathe and acquire depth."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 186 words, 04/02/09
Mary Pols, Time: VERY GOOD "...less interesting as a romance than as a meditation on the commonality of uncertainty. Whenever it taps into the bittersweetness of those moments, it soars."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 748 words, 04/03/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Mottola doesn't always find the right tone, but you have to admire him for trying inject some substance into what can be a predictably mindless genre."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 04/02/09
Bradley Jacobs, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "Though the life lessons aren't new, writer-director Greg Mottola's ('Superbad') dramedy offers a poignant take on friendship, family and first love."(See all of Bradley Jacobs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 74 words, 04/02/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a bittersweet, if uneven, coming-of-age comedy that captures the notion of a pivotal summer.... content to settle for subtle laughs, knowing smiles and a few cringes."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 04/03/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Somehow the story of a young man's coming of age never gets old, at least when it is told with the kind of sweetness and intelligence 'Adventureland' displays."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,065 words, 04/03/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "What surprised me was how much I admired Kristen Stewart, who in 'Twilight,' was playing below her grade level. Here is an actress ready to do important things."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 680 words, 04/02/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...writer-director Greg Mottola has taken that most overdone of contemporary genres, the coming-of-age story, and made it engaging, bittersweet and even fun."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 04/03/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...does a nice job playing with the genre's stock coming-of-age figures... Unfortunately the narrative that gets stuck on top is little more than an ice-cream castle."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 04/03/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "I've seen Greg Mottola's movie twice, and both times, it has inspired feelings of joy, sadness, and a profound yearning for the unrecoverable past."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 892 words, 04/01/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the sense of time and place is impeccable. I worked at Canada's Wonderland in the mid-80s, and the details of 'Adventureland's' skee-ball room are disturbingly dead-on."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 04/03/09
KEY CITIES (19 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...manages to capture the absurdity and anguish of young adulthood, while never sacrificing meaning on the altar of crude humor..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 04/03/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...a mix of cute and irritating.... has the meandering plot and mumbling humor of young people trying like hell to grow up."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 535 words, 04/03/09
John DeFore, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an enjoyable ride.... gets period details right without bogging down in them.... cares a lot about being as true to the emotions as possible."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 04/03/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a worthy effort, several cuts above the teen comedies that came out of the era it depicts while managing to capture it thoroughly."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 04/02/09
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a movie like Greg Mottola's 'Adventureland' comes along to make us think, why aren't there more young love movies? Why not one every week?"(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 04/03/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...mixes the intimate, indie vibe of 'Daytrippers' with the absurdist screwball streak of 'Superbad,' to winning effect."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 04/03/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...has laughs, lust, but little edge.... harmless enough, but 'indie comedy' sounds like something better seen at Urban Outfitters than at a movie theater."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 791 words, 04/03/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a perfect storm of heart, humor, smart writing and spot-on casting.... one of those sly, exceptional comedies in the mold of 'Juno' or 'The Graduate'..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 04/03/09
Clint O'Connor, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: POOR(cg) "They should pay us back for having to sit through this swill.... most of the scenes in 'Adventureland' aren't about much of anything."(See all of Clint O'Connor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 372 words, 04/03/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...there are wonderfully underplayed bits of memory obviously derived from Mottola's youthful real life... a heart that can be broken with a whisper."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 04/03/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sticks so closely to the rhythms of remembrance that it lacks dramatic impact. We've heard this story too many times before."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 321 words, 04/03/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...just another excuse for '80s progenies to believe nothing of pop culture consequence happened before or after their rites of passage."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 04/02/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Sadly, 'Adventureland' is anything but bold. Not that 'Superbad' was all that ambitious, but at least its pace and jokey edge made it work."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 04/02/09
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sweet, surprisingly tender... perceptively explores the way we relate to each other and how fickle we can be even when we know in our hearts what's right."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 04/03/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: VERY GOOD(cg) "Though 'Adventureland' is virtually without plot, it is full of empathy, for its wiseacre, college-kid main characters and for the townies working alongside them."(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 04/03/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a bittersweet joy. Its humor and romance are refreshing because writer-director Greg Mottola realizes that maturity is a two-steps-forward, one-step-backward process."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 556 words, 04/03/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Not unlike many a summer gig that filled your life with oddsters and anecdotes... seems to gain a warm, fond glow as time passes."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 04/03/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "I've seen Greg Mottola's movie twice, and both times, it has inspired feelings of joy, sadness, and a profound yearning for the unrecoverable past."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 892 words, 04/01/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the fun comes from the delicious comic twists provided by SNL's Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as the park owners... throws a lot at us, but not enough of it sticks."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 183 words, 04/03/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Although funny and sometimes poignant (especially for those who were of a certain age in the late '80s, when the film is set), the film never rises above the formula."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 585 words, 04/02/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the sense of time and place is impeccable. I worked at Canada's Wonderland in the mid-80s, and the details of 'Adventureland's' skee-ball room are disturbingly dead-on."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 353 words, 04/03/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Somehow the story of a young man's coming of age never gets old, at least when it is told with the kind of sweetness and intelligence 'Adventureland' displays."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,065 words, 04/03/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "There's no shortage of felicitous lines or interesting performances, yet the movie, like the amusement park of its title, feels constructed from familiar parts."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 236 words, 04/03/09
David Denby, New Yorker: OUTSTANDING "Mottola has a tender regard for balled-up smart people who angrily reject conventional success yet remain desperate for acceptance.... tinged with the pathos..."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 983 words, 04/06/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...writer-director Greg Mottola has taken that most overdone of contemporary genres, the coming-of-age story, and made it engaging, bittersweet and even fun."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 04/03/09
Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...based on the sincere dreams and frustrations of its teenage characters. It embraces their anxieties, dreams and youthful valor."(See all of Duane Byrge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 01/20/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...writer-director Greg Mottola has taken that most overdone of contemporary genres, the coming-of-age story, and made it engaging, bittersweet and even fun."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 04/03/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "Somehow the story of a young man's coming of age never gets old, at least when it is told with the kind of sweetness and intelligence 'Adventureland' displays."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,065 words, 04/03/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "There's no shortage of felicitous lines or interesting performances, yet the movie, like the amusement park of its title, feels constructed from familiar parts."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 236 words, 04/03/09
17.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Adventureland's reviews are separated by an average 17.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Adventureland (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Adventureland's reviews cover 90.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,801 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 549 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 20.5 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Adventureland's reviews on average broke 20.5 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Adventureland's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Adventureland (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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