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Adventureland Blu-ray Disc Review

ADVENTURELAND (2009, Blu-ray released August 25, 2009 – MSRP $44.99)

Adventureland Blu-ray DiscI spent three summers working at an amusement park. Two of which I played a Klingon. Yes, that’s right. THAT kind of Klingon. The Star Trek variety. During that time I fell in love with a girl (my boss!), made some incredible friends and had one of the best summers of my life. Adventureland is kind of the story of my life, in a lot of ways. But with significantly less Klingon.

Director Greg Mottola follows up his 2007 hit, Superbad with a less audacious and wantonly comedic (some might say sophomoric) take on youth. Adventureland is…a teen drama? Kind of…I guess…All of the marketing, all of the packaging and everything surrounding this film led me to believe this was going to be another balls-to-the-wall dirty-ass fun fest. Instead, Mottola delivers a fairly sensitive and honest portrayal of his own youth and a summer spent working at an amusement park and falling in love. Man, this is a actually a pretty great movie! Far from perfect but thoroughly enjoyable. And not the kind of film I was expecting to see at all, I have to admit.

Newsflash – Adventureland is NOT a comedy! I mean, it has comedic moments, don’t get me wrong. SNL alums Bill Hader (genius!) and Kristen Wiig (also genius!) play supporting roles as park managers (or maybe the owners? I was never quite clear on that one…) so you know that there are moments that bring the funny. But where this thing really shines is when it decides to be genuine. When it lingers on the nuanced character moments. The comedy bits are all fine and good but I find myself more strongly fixated on the drama here. You know, the awkward moments common to young people struggling to make some money while winning friends and maintaining dignity at a crappy summer job.

Perhaps I just found myself relating strongly to the characters because of…well, you know…the Klingon thing…Either way, it’s a nice blend of styles – comedy and teen drama – that doesn’t always work but manages to maintain a certain charm throughout.

I’ve got to mention the music here. What an amazing soundtrack! All original music in the film is written by Yo La Tengo and supplemented by an incredible selection of random 80s tunes and a bucketload of Lou Reed, who provides one of the films running gags. Worth the price of the disc on its own.

Speaking of the Blu-ray disc, Adventureland looks quite good for a low-budget indie teen-dramedy. Again, like the story, the transfer is a mixed bag. Contrast can fluctuate but black levels are quite deep and seem stable. Colours are generally accurate. It’s not bad. Really nice to look at. It won’t win any awards but I loved it.

The special features are, again…say it with me…A MIXED BAG! Yeah, there’s a lot to like here but some of it honestly felt like filler. The three Blu-ray exclusive featurettes are entertaining but don’t carry much weight. I felt like the “Adventureland Commercials” were doing their best to replicate the style of Kristen Wiig’s fake ads on SNL but, unlike her TV work these spots didn’t make me laugh. It’s weird. I don’t quite get it. It seemed like they did everything right. Maybe they were just trying too hard. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood.

The director and star (Jesse Eisenberg) commentary is the real winner among the extras. These two guys chat like they’re best pals! They have a lot to say about the film and while the conversation is not always illuminating, the commentary provides a great, informal listen. A “making-of” doc, some deleted scenes (with commentary!) and a feature that allows you to skip to your favourite tunes throughout the film are also included.

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2 comments for “Adventureland Blu-ray Disc Review”

  1. hmmmmpht.

    Posted by elaine | August 26, 2009, 10:03 am
  2. [...] that Jesse Eisenberg gets himself in two films, back to back that are titled something-land: first Adventureland and now Zombieland! It almost feels like this might be a sequel. Now that would be [...]

    Posted by Zombieland Blu-ray Announced and Detailed | The Blu-Ray Blog | December 8, 2009, 12:32 am

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