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Adventureland (2009)

 -  Comedy | Drama | Romance  -  3 April 2009 (USA)
6.9
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Ratings: 6.9/10 from 89,298 users   Metascore: 76/100
Reviews: 204 user | 231 critic | 34 from Metacritic.com

In the summer of 1987, a college grad takes a 'nowhere' job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.

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Title: Adventureland (2009)

Adventureland (2009) on IMDb 6.9/10

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Ryan McFarland ...
Jack Gilpin ...
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Todd Cioppa ...
Velvet Touch Manager
Stephen Mast ...
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Adam Kroloff ...
Adult Contestant
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Molly Hatchet T-Shirt Guy
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Storyline

In 1987, James Brennan's dreams of a summer European tour before studying at an Ivy League school in New York City are ruined after his parents have a severe career setback. As a result, James must get a summer job to cover his upcoming expenses at the decrepit local amusement park, Adventureland, where he falls in love with a witty co-worker, Emily Lewin. In that bizarrely shady workplace, the young carnies have unforgettable and painful learning experiences about life, love and trust while James discovers what he truly values. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Nothing brings people together like a crappy summer job. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, drug use and sexual references | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Country:

Language:

Release Date:

3 April 2009 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Adventureland - Job d'été à éviter  »

Filming Locations:

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Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£210,671 (UK) (11 September 2009)

Gross:

£489,686 (UK) (18 September 2009)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Greg Mottola originally planned to shoot the movie in the real Adventureland park, but later decided against it since the park had been so drastically remodeled since he had worked there. See more »

Goofs

When Frigo is seen shooting off fireworks, Brennan is wearing 2004 New Balance 574s. See more »

Quotes

[People attend the horse game. James looks at Bobby and Paulette, who nod, and then decides to exaggerate]
James Brennan: Ladies and gentlemen, put down your mint juleps. Horses are all at the starting gate. Okay, and they're off! And Red bolts out of the gate, taking an early lead! But look out! Here comes Green, issuing a challenge from the outside lane. Green runs well on a muddy track, folks, so today's conditions might give him a slight edge. And Yellow is dead last! What a dissapointment after Yellow's ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

A commercial for the Adventureland amusement park can be seen during the end credits. See more »

Connections

References Centipede (1980) See more »

Soundtracks

"West Beirut"
Written by Lawrence Kent, Nick Griffin, David Waldstein, and Jacob London
Performed by Civilian Fun Group
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Good "Coming of Age" Drama/Comedy
9 April 2009 | by (Philadelphia) – See all my reviews

While watching this movie, it wasn't clear if this was supposed to be a comedy or a drama, so it's difficult to put this into a category. It was funny and sad, so I'd classify it as a comedy/drama.

The movie takes place in the 1980's and the main character is forced to take a job a Pittsburgh area amusement park called "Adventureland" so he can save enough money to attend graduate school. While his parents feel the job is beneath his college degree qualifications, it's the only job he can find so he takes it, and ends up working the game show booths. While working there, he meets Kristen Stewart, and they develop a romantic relationship, which takes up a large chunk of the movie. Kristen, incidentally, seems to be playing the same exact character she played in "Twilight", wounded and needy.

Based on the trailers, I was expecting something along the lines of "Superbad" but the movie was a lot closer to "Dazed & Confused", a well written period piece of the 1970's. The comedy aspect of the movie was in the interactions with his friends, parents, co-workers, and supervisors. There weren't a lot of LOL moments, but the humor is more in identifying with the characters and their lives.

I enjoyed the movie and anyone living or growing up during the 1980's will appreciate the mood & music of the film.


44 of 66 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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