Adventureland, Unrated (2009)
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Reynolds
Directed by: Greg Mottola
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 color
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, French Dolby 2.0 Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Audio commentary track with writer/director Greg Mottola and actor Jesse Eisenberg; “Just My Life: The Making of Adventureland” featurette; three deleted scenes; Various trailers; picture music selection
Length: 107 minutes
Movie Rating: ***1/2 Video Rating: *** Audio Rating: ***
“Adventureland” takes place in 1987 where James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) learns that due to his family’s financial difficulties, his summer trip to Europe is cancelled and his fall admission into ivy-league college Columbia is in jeopardy. James is forced to take a summer job working carnival games at the local amusement park known as Adventureland to make some extra income. Among a collection of quirky park employees, James meets and falls for Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart). Unbeknownst to James though, Em is currently involved with the park’s married handyman Connell (Ryan Reynolds) and this makes it difficult for her to return James’ affections.
More of a coming-of-age dramedy than a straight comedy, “Adventureland” is an enjoyable little flick. It’s refreshing to see the inclusion of characters like James that are well-meaning and respectful towards others. SNL cast members Hader and Wiig provide some nice comedic moments and the 80’s flavored music soundtrack is well-chosen to create the right vibe for the film. Recommended.
The overall video quality of “Adventureland” is somewhere in the average-to-good category. Images are clean with fine detail. Black levels are uniformly dark throughout the film. Colors are accurate although a bit faded (more likely an artistic choice than a transfer issue). Stylized film grain is present throughout the movie, but picture defect mastering is fairly solid with no major flaws or compression artifacts other than the occasional dot or speck. The overall audio quality is also average-to-good with the English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is natural-sounding although sometimes hard to hear. I found myself increasing the volume on several occasions to understand what characters were saying. The surround channels are moderately utilized for ambient park sound effects (such as rollercoasters, carnival game sounds, and crowd noise) and the classic 80s music score. The low frequency effects channel sees very limited action outside of the music.
– Calvin Harding Jr.
