Adventureland

Hmmm.... I expected some sort of animated feature, but instead was subjected to the angst of young adulthood in Pittsburgh. I don't suppose I've ever really LOOKED at the poor souls who have to work at the game and ride concessions at a second-rate theme park. Now that I've had an insider's peek, I'll never treat them as invisible again.

And another thing: The movie credits actually showed the character and then the name of the actor who played it! What a treat. In the past, the standard way is to show the credits, then it is ASSUMED that we will know the faces for all those names...

Okay, back to the movie: Jesse Eisenberg ("Squid and the Whale") is a newly minted college graduate ready to enjoy his graduation gift: a trip to Europe. Problem is, his father has just been downsized and the parents can no longer afford it. Instead, he is directed to a nearby theme park to work for the summer. He and most of the other employees agree: it is the worst job...EVER!

Of course, with all these young adults, hormones are raging, but the gal who most appeals to our hero is played by Kristen Stewart ("Twilight"). Unbeknownst to her co-workers, this Daddy's Little Girl is having a fling with the (married) repairman, played by Ryan Reynolds ("Definitely, Maybe"). She is desperately unhappy at home because her widowed father has just remarried.

Of course, the cast of characters is populated with nerds, sluts, drunks, druggies, and virgins (...but not for long...). Their boss and his wife are played to comic perfection by Bill Hader ("Tropic Thunder") and Kristen Wiig ("Ghost Town").

This is a predictable trip down the primrose path for our hero but I was surprised to see Ryan Reynolds play a less-than-admirable fellow this time out. That is quite a change of pace for him. Maybe there's hope yet!