Greg Mottola’s Superbad follow-up finally arrives in the UK - but Adventureland is something a little bit different…
Remember those smiley face bumper stickers that said Shit Happens?
They were all the rage in the 80s.
Just dust yourself off and keep on trucking everything will turn out sweet in the end.
Shit happens, better get used to it.
Yes, there are parallels between Mottolas latest film and his last.
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Im not even qualified for manual labour!
Mottolas characterisation of the offbeat park manager and his almost sinister forced hilarity is pitch perfect.
But Hader is underused, and what could have been a show stopping performance becomes a peripheral sideshow act.
The awkward but ultimately cool James fits right in with the leftfield gallery of Adventurelands cynical staff.
Succinctly summing up the ethos of most minimum wage jobs.
These three form the emotional centre ofAdventureland.
The awkwardness of teenage sexuality is subtlety played.
And yes, there are more than a few running gags and boner jokes.
Another gear Mottola uses to good effect is music.
The film successfully captures the essence of some of the eras more colourful fashion trends, too.
The film is by no means perfec,t though.
Be warned though: this is an entirely different beast toSuperbad.
And those wanting a rollicking farce for their Friday night giggles may be underwhelmed.
After all, sometimes in life shit does just happen.
Rating:
4 out of 5
