Turndown Day

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As I began to say last Thursday, Greg Mottola's Adventureland (Miramax, 4.3) is modestly pleasing -- a period relationship drama with comedic spritzing that's unforced, settled down, not bawdy or coarse, and proportionately buyable. That's another way of saying it's a piece of recognizable realism with two solid, nicely unpretentious performances from Jesse Eisenberg and the always sublime, rock-sexy Kristen Stewart.

Broadway near Bond Street, 3.29.09, 1:55 pm

When I begin to watch a film about kids in their early 20s doing whatever, I silently pray to myself, "Please don't let it be stupid." Or "please let the characters not be gullible or at least have a shred or two of common sense, or at least a capability for intelligent dialogue....please." Most of the time films of this sort fart in my face, but not this sucker. Adventureland is bright and honest and restrained in a likable, low-key way.

I didn't like some aspects. I could have done without the stabs at humor. (They feel off-point.) The parents of Eisenberg's character -- Jack Gilpin, Wendie Malick -- felt overly curt and charicatured. But I was generally pleased. Not to the point of doing cartwheels in the Brill building lobby, but a film can put you in a pretty agreeable place without making you get all gymnastic.

The irony is that this intelligent, mild-mannered quality may turn out to be a commercial problem. There's almost nothing in it for the apes who love the downmarket obviousness of the cruder Judd Apatow comedies (I Love You, Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Year One).

I can just hear the word-of-mouth outside the plexes next weekend. Viewer #1: "So is it funny? Is it foul? Do girls get naked in it? Does anyone lean out of a moving car and throw up?" Viewer #2: Uh, well...no. It's not really a comedy-comedy. In fact, it's not even a dramedy. Nobody gets pissed on or thrown up on. Nobody gets naked. It's more of a nice little realistic love story between two fairly aware people. No tricks or gross-outs." Viewer #1: "Fuck that!"

Martin Starr, Jesse Eisenberg

Set in the early '80s Pennsyvania, it's about a virginal college grad (Eisenberg) who takes a nothing summer job in a local amusement park after being told by his parents that they can't afford to pay for his grad-school tuition, much less a trip to Europe. He gradually falls in love with coworker Em (Stewart), who slowly begins to reciprocate despite a side affair she's having with Connell (Ryan Reynolds), an older married guy who works as the park's mechanic.

Secondary loser-type characters float in and out -- the park owner (Bill Hader ) and his wife (Kirsten Wiig), a brainy Jewish nerd type (Martin Starr), a straight-laced hottie (Margarita Levieva ). Various obstacles, complications, and distractions manifest. But the Eisenberg-Stewart thing -- will they? can she? should he? -- is the main order of business.

And it all cruises along within an '80s period vibe. Like a cousin of All The Right Moves. Everything looks and feels a bit grubby and low-thread. Terry Stacey's cinematography has a slightly downgraded feeling to it, like a none-too-slick New Line film of the era.

Mottola, the director-writer, uses Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" on the soundtrack (and even throws in a discussion about the lyrics at one point), but the song that seems to sum up Adventureland, for me, is "It's A Turn Down Day" by The Cyrkle. Generationally wrong, of course, but tonally or attitudinally it's somehow right in line. I can't explain it any more fully than this.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 29, 2009 at 1:52 PM

comment #1

Ryansi51 says ...

I agree, Kristen Stewart is about as sexy as a rock.

Posted by Ryansi51 at March 29, 2009 3:48 PM

comment #2

Sabina E says ...

I'm looking forward to this.

Posted by Sabina E at March 29, 2009 3:52 PM

comment #3

BurmaShave says ...

Sattelite of Love is one of the two or three best songs ever written. Sold.

Posted by BurmaShave at March 29, 2009 4:52 PM

comment #4

frankbooth says ...

This will probably bomb and become a cult classic. Looks like my kind of movie.

I've never heard of The Cyrkle, by the way, and I'm at reasonably up on my Sixties rock. (Any fans of Skip Spence's "Oar" out there?)

I love performance videos from that era, with the wild sets and cheesy-cool concepts. ("Okay, we'll start facing AWAY from the audience, and then you turn as we bring the camera 'round..." ) They were often silly, but there was an energy and fun that's just gone. Now they just shoot it from a hundred angles with spinning sky-cams and randomly edit every half-second.

Posted by frankbooth at March 29, 2009 5:05 PM

comment #5

BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey says ...

Kristen Stewart makes me laugh. She's so serious. Imagine a buddy-movie with her and Dakota Fanning. It'd be the most serious movie ever made.

Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey at March 29, 2009 5:12 PM

comment #6

Circumvrent says ...

I hate Jeff's pessimistic generalizations, but the dialog between Viewer #1 and Viewer #2 made me laugh out loud.

Is there any actress in Kristin Stewart's generation with any hint of staying power? Everybody in that league (her, Evan Rachel Wood) are so fucking humorless, it'll be hard to imagine what kind of roles they'll play once they hit 25.

Posted by Circumvrent at March 29, 2009 5:37 PM

comment #7

coiner says ...

this movie is being marked so badly

Posted by coiner at March 29, 2009 5:48 PM

comment #8

KC says ...

wells i don't get your taste in baby dykes at all, stewart is cute and all but i'll take ellen page any day

Posted by KC at March 29, 2009 6:09 PM

comment #9

BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey says ...

Yeah, it's hard to see Stewart, Page or Wood as anything other than the quirky/moody teenager at this point. At least Fanning has tried different stuff.

Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey at March 29, 2009 6:45 PM

comment #10

bcarter3 says ...

frankbooth--

The Cyrkle had a couple of fairly big singles in the mid-60s. The one besides "It's A Turn Down Day" was "Red Rubber Ball," written by Paul Simon. Two really good 60ish songs.

Oh, and they opened for the Beatles on one of the tours.

Posted by bcarter3 at March 29, 2009 9:12 PM

comment #11

berg says ...

regarding The Cyrkle ,,, two of the group's members ... "... Dawes and Danneman became professional jingle writers after The Cyrkle disbanded. Dawes later wrote the famous plop plop fizz fizz jingle for Alka-Seltzer. Danneman wrote jingles for Continental Airlines and Swanson Foods. He penned the original 7Up Uncola song."

Posted by berg at March 29, 2009 9:33 PM

comment #12

D.Z. says ...

'Viewer #1: "So is it funny? Is it foul? Do girls get naked in it? Does anyone lean out of a moving car and throw up?" Viewer #2: Uh, well...no. It's not really a comedy-comedy. In fact, it's not even a dramedy. Nobody gets pissed on or thrown up on. Nobody gets naked. It's more of a nice little realistic love story between two fairly aware people. No tricks or gross-outs." Viewer #1: "Fuck that!"'

I don't mind no nudity, but I just hope it's got a decent sense of pacing, since that trailer already seems a bit too long.

Circumvrent: I personally felt more sympathy with Rourke than Wood with her character in The Wrestler. I mean, what was the point of kicking out her dad from her life again, after she went to the trouble of re-associating with him? I understand it from a story point of view, but from a character point of view, she comes off rather fickle.

Posted by D.Z. at March 29, 2009 9:49 PM

comment #13

scooterzz says ...

no one 'reasonably up on my sixties rock' doesn't know the cyrkle....i was there, those tunes were ubiquitous ....really...

and -- as i've posted before, even matolla hates the marketing...the film will die because of it....

Posted by scooterzz at March 29, 2009 9:50 PM

comment #14

frankbooth says ...

Okay, scooterzz. But if you were there, you can't remember it.

Posted by frankbooth at March 30, 2009 1:21 AM

comment #15

actionman says ...

Kristen Stewart looks like a man.

Posted by actionman at March 30, 2009 5:53 AM

comment #16

MilkMan says ...

Frankbooth: If you're a fan of Mental Rock you should def. check out some of Bill Fay's work. I know he's not considered loony tunes, but you would never guess that by listening to his cracked piano soft rock ballads. Oar is pretty great stuff, on par with Madcap Laughs.

And I think K. Stewart is beautiful. She seems like a tough little bitch and that's what I find really attractive. She can look androgynous sometimes, but I don't consider that a bad thing. I mean, not every beautiful woman can look like Monica Belluci in The Apartment. But then again, I think Jessica Biel has turned into a real woofer, so what do I know. But I do know that no young actress is as white hot as Amber Heard. She would've been perfect for the role in Adventureland.

Jesus Christ sometimes I creep myself out. Excuse me while I go jam my house key up my nose like that guy on Locked Up Abroad.

Posted by MilkMan at March 30, 2009 2:55 PM

comment #17