Adventureland (film)
Encyclopedia
Adventureland is a 2009 Retro
comedy-drama film
written and directed by Greg Mottola
. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg
, Kristen Stewart
, Margarita Levieva
, Ryan Reynolds
, Martin Starr
, Bill Hader
, and Kristen Wiig
.
), an incidental virgin, has just graduated with a degree in comparative literature
from Oberlin College
. He is looking forward to touring Europe
for the summer and going to Columbia University
for graduate school in journalism
, when his parents (Wendie Malick
and Jack Gilpin
) announce they won't be able to help him financially.
James searches for a summer job, but can only find an unappealing one at Adventureland, a local amusement park in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, where his immature childhood friend Tommy Frigo (Matt Bush
) works. James is hired by assistant manager Bobby (Bill Hader
) and is assigned to the games area. He meets his co-workers: the sarcastic Joel (Martin Starr
), Bobby's wife and park manager Paulette (Kristen Wiig
), Sue O'Malley (Paige Howard), Mark (Mark Miller), the alluring Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva
) whom every guy wants, and the park's technician Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds
), a part-time musician. Another games worker, Emily "Em" Lewin (Kristen Stewart
), meets James by saving him from being stabbed by a disgruntled customer.
While her father and stepmother are away, Em has a party where she and James get to know each other. After the party, Connell, who has been having an affair with Em, comes over to further pursue the affair. Later that week, James goes for a drink with Em and she is surprised to learn James has never had sex. After leaving, James and Em share their first kiss. The following day, James tells Connell about his strong feelings for Em, which Connell reports to her. Em later tells James that she wants to take things slow due to problems in her life, leaving James feeling confused and upset. Joel is rejected by Sue after a drunken night of making out due to religious differences (she is Catholic
and he is Jewish). Lisa P. asks James out on a date, but he has mixed feelings because of his relationship with Em. After Connell talks him into going, presumably to sabotage James' relationship with Em, he decides to accept her offer.
After the date, during which Lisa and James kiss, James learns Em had called to tell him that she regrets having rejected his feelings. James gives Em some of his marijuana to bake pot cookies to cheer her up. Joel later sees James and Em walking together and, disturbed by the whole chain of events, decides to quit. James tries to talk him out of quitting, but Joel has had enough of it all. He also tells James he is angry at him for dating Lisa P. when he already loves Em. Wanting to be honest, James tells Em about going out with Lisa P. After hearing of this, Em goes to Connell's to end their affair. Prompted by Frigo, the park's mentally-challenged parking official tells James he saw Em and Connell doing "push-ups without any pants on" in the back of Connell's car.
James goes to Connell's mother's house, which is where Lisa P. told him that Connell takes girls to have sex, and sees Em leaving. Shocked to see James, Em becomes tongue-tied and cannot explain. James leaves angrily, leaving a crying Em by herself. James tells Lisa P. about the affair and asks her not to tell anyone, but not long after, she tells her friend Kelly. Upon noticing that all the park employees know, Em quits. James chastises Lisa P. for dismissing Em as a "homewrecker" while seeing Connell as blameless. Heartbroken, he drunkenly crashes his dad's car into a tree and passes out. The next morning, his mother wakes him up and tells him that he has to pay to fix the damage.
Because he must pay for the car, James doesn't have enough money to go to graduate school. Despite his setbacks, he heads for New York City with his parents blessing, as they finally decide that it's time to let James do what is best for him. In New York, James waits outside Em's apartment. She is reluctant to talk to him, feeling she has ruined everything. James tells her that he sees her in a different way from the way she sees herself, making it clear that he has fallen in love with her. Touched, Em brings James up to her apartment. James reveals he is not going to Columbia this year, and considers next year. He gets out of his wet clothes and finds that Em still has an Adventureland shirt. They kiss and begin to take their clothes off. James asks, "Are we really doing this?", and Em says yes; James presumably loses his virginity.
from December 2007 to January 2008, with most scenes shot in Kennywood
, a historic amusement park in nearby West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
. The theme park from the film is based on the Farmingdale, New York
amusement park Adventureland
where Mottola once worked in the 1980s. Other scenes were shot in Beaver County
and the airport area around the Pennsylvania area (such as the Stardust Lounge in Moon Township).
The story takes place during the summer, but since it was shot in the winter months in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, crews had to often hide snowfall. In some instances, during indoor takes, extras were paid to stand outside surrounding the windows and doors to block the snow falling behind the actors.
and went on general release April 3, 2009.
.
Metacritic gave the film an aggregate rating of 76 based on 34 select critics.
Adventureland was the winner of High Times Magazine's 2009 Stoner Movie of the Year Award. Kristen Stewart
also received High Times Magazine's 2009 Stonette of the Year Award, due in part to her performance in the film.
and Blu-ray
with unrated bonus features.
The film maintains a notable reverence for Lou Reed, who is idolized by the main character, featured on t-shirts and posters of other cast members and has likewise elevated the status of the playground mechanic stemming from a rumored jam session with the artist. Earlier versions of the script replaced Lou Reed with singer-songwriter Neil Young as the musician Ryan Reynold's character had played with, and used Young's songs "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)" in key scenes.
Additional songs
A selection of the songs not included on the soundtrack album:
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
comedy-drama film
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
written and directed by Greg Mottola
Greg Mottola
Gregory J. "Greg" Mottola is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and television director. Mottola wrote and directed the 1996 independent film The Daytrippers, then concentrated for several years on directing in television for series such as Undeclared and Arrested Development...
. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
, Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
, Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The Invisible, Adventureland and Spread.-Personal life:...
, Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
, Martin Starr
Martin Starr
Martin Starr is an American television and film actor, known for his roles as Bill Haverchuck on the short-lived NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks and as Roman DeBeers on the Starz comedy series Party Down, as well as for his roles in the films Knocked Up, Cheats, and Adventureland.-Life and...
, Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
, and Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
.
Plot
It is the summer of 1987 and James Brennan (Jesse EisenbergJesse Eisenberg
Jesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
), an incidental virgin, has just graduated with a degree in comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. He is looking forward to touring Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the summer and going to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
for graduate school in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, when his parents (Wendie Malick
Wendie Malick
Wendie Malick is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles as Judith Tupper Stone on the HBO series Dream On , Nina Van Horn on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! , Ronee Lawrence on the NBC sitcom Frasier and Victoria Chase on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland .-Early...
and Jack Gilpin
Jack Gilpin
Jack Gilpin is an American actor.Gilpin had a recurring role on the TV series Kate & Allie, and is a frequent Law & Order guest star, having appeared in all three series – Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent...
) announce they won't be able to help him financially.
James searches for a summer job, but can only find an unappealing one at Adventureland, a local amusement park in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, where his immature childhood friend Tommy Frigo (Matt Bush
Matt Bush (actor)
Matt Bush is an American actor, best known for the film Adventureland and his AT&T Rollover Minutes commercials. He starred in the TBS comedy Glory Daze as Eli, a freshman who rushes the wildest fraternity on a 1980s college campus....
) works. James is hired by assistant manager Bobby (Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
) and is assigned to the games area. He meets his co-workers: the sarcastic Joel (Martin Starr
Martin Starr
Martin Starr is an American television and film actor, known for his roles as Bill Haverchuck on the short-lived NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks and as Roman DeBeers on the Starz comedy series Party Down, as well as for his roles in the films Knocked Up, Cheats, and Adventureland.-Life and...
), Bobby's wife and park manager Paulette (Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
), Sue O'Malley (Paige Howard), Mark (Mark Miller), the alluring Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva
Margarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The Invisible, Adventureland and Spread.-Personal life:...
) whom every guy wants, and the park's technician Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
), a part-time musician. Another games worker, Emily "Em" Lewin (Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
), meets James by saving him from being stabbed by a disgruntled customer.
While her father and stepmother are away, Em has a party where she and James get to know each other. After the party, Connell, who has been having an affair with Em, comes over to further pursue the affair. Later that week, James goes for a drink with Em and she is surprised to learn James has never had sex. After leaving, James and Em share their first kiss. The following day, James tells Connell about his strong feelings for Em, which Connell reports to her. Em later tells James that she wants to take things slow due to problems in her life, leaving James feeling confused and upset. Joel is rejected by Sue after a drunken night of making out due to religious differences (she is Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and he is Jewish). Lisa P. asks James out on a date, but he has mixed feelings because of his relationship with Em. After Connell talks him into going, presumably to sabotage James' relationship with Em, he decides to accept her offer.
After the date, during which Lisa and James kiss, James learns Em had called to tell him that she regrets having rejected his feelings. James gives Em some of his marijuana to bake pot cookies to cheer her up. Joel later sees James and Em walking together and, disturbed by the whole chain of events, decides to quit. James tries to talk him out of quitting, but Joel has had enough of it all. He also tells James he is angry at him for dating Lisa P. when he already loves Em. Wanting to be honest, James tells Em about going out with Lisa P. After hearing of this, Em goes to Connell's to end their affair. Prompted by Frigo, the park's mentally-challenged parking official tells James he saw Em and Connell doing "push-ups without any pants on" in the back of Connell's car.
James goes to Connell's mother's house, which is where Lisa P. told him that Connell takes girls to have sex, and sees Em leaving. Shocked to see James, Em becomes tongue-tied and cannot explain. James leaves angrily, leaving a crying Em by herself. James tells Lisa P. about the affair and asks her not to tell anyone, but not long after, she tells her friend Kelly. Upon noticing that all the park employees know, Em quits. James chastises Lisa P. for dismissing Em as a "homewrecker" while seeing Connell as blameless. Heartbroken, he drunkenly crashes his dad's car into a tree and passes out. The next morning, his mother wakes him up and tells him that he has to pay to fix the damage.
Because he must pay for the car, James doesn't have enough money to go to graduate school. Despite his setbacks, he heads for New York City with his parents blessing, as they finally decide that it's time to let James do what is best for him. In New York, James waits outside Em's apartment. She is reluctant to talk to him, feeling she has ruined everything. James tells her that he sees her in a different way from the way she sees herself, making it clear that he has fallen in love with her. Touched, Em brings James up to her apartment. James reveals he is not going to Columbia this year, and considers next year. He gets out of his wet clothes and finds that Em still has an Adventureland shirt. They kiss and begin to take their clothes off. James asks, "Are we really doing this?", and Em says yes; James presumably loses his virginity.
Cast
- Jesse EisenbergJesse EisenbergJesse Adam Eisenberg is an American actor. He made his screen debut with the comedy-drama television series Get Real from 1999 to 2000...
as James Brennan, a recent college graduate who majored in Comparative LiteratureComparative literatureComparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
and RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
Studies. He is an aspiring journalist who has to get a summer job so he can afford to go to Columbia University in New York. The only job he can get is in the games at the Adventureland theme park. He is a virgin and occasional marijuana smoker. Throughout his summer working in Adventureland, Brennan develops a relationship with his co-worker, Emily "Em" Lewin. - Kristen StewartKristen StewartKristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
as Emily "Em" Lewin, one of James' Adventureland co-workers and love interest. She has a troubled home life, she hates her stepmother and resents her father for remarrying so soon after her mother's death from cancer. She is a student at NYU but her father is a rich lawyer and she works in the games at the theme park even though she doesn't need to, mostly as a reason to get out of the house. She is secretly having an affair with the park's maintenance man, Mike Connell, but eventually calls it off, and quits Adventureland after her affair becomes public knowledge. - Ryan ReynoldsRyan ReynoldsRyan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
as Mike Connell, the park's maintenance man, married to a woman named Ronnie. He is also a part time musician who claims to have played a gig with Lou ReedLou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
. Through slips in his musical knowledge, it becomes apparent to James that this is not true. He has cheated on his wife with different girls and, by the beginning of the story, with Em. - Martin StarrMartin StarrMartin Starr is an American television and film actor, known for his roles as Bill Haverchuck on the short-lived NBC comedy-drama Freaks and Geeks and as Roman DeBeers on the Starz comedy series Party Down, as well as for his roles in the films Knocked Up, Cheats, and Adventureland.-Life and...
as Joel, one of James' co-workers at the games in Adventureland and James' friend in the summer. A college graduate in Russian literatureRussian literatureRussian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
and Slavic languagesSlavic languagesThe Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
, a degree which he claims will get him a job as a "cabbie, hot dog vendor," or "marijuana delivery guy." He eventually quits the park after being attacked by a disgruntled customer and leaves Pittsburgh to head for an undisclosed location. Enjoys smoking a pipe, although he calls it a "revolting affectation." - Matt BushMatt Bush (actor)Matt Bush is an American actor, best known for the film Adventureland and his AT&T Rollover Minutes commercials. He starred in the TBS comedy Glory Daze as Eli, a freshman who rushes the wildest fraternity on a 1980s college campus....
as Tommy Frigo, James' childhood best friend; though they aren't good friends any more, James still manages to tolerate Frigo's immaturity and cruelty. Frigo constantly teases James and hits him in the testicles, repeatedly, often bringing him to his knees in pain. He even goes so far as to blackmail James about his date with Lisa P. At the end of the film, James hits Frigo in the testicles first for once, before heading off to New York, finally getting his revenge. - Margarita LevievaMargarita LevievaMargarita Levieva is an American actress. Born in the Soviet Union, she was a professional gymnast before going on to star in the films The Invisible, Adventureland and Spread.-Personal life:...
as Lisa P., one of the rides operators at the Adventureland park. A seductive girl to whom all the park's employees are attracted. Her father was injured and is now unable to work, and she bonds with James after he shows some sympathy for her. She invites James out on a date, but he leaves her to go back with Em. She eventually tells her friends at the park that Em is having an affair with Connell, a secret she told James she would not reveal. - Bill HaderBill HaderWilliam "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
as Bobby, the eccentric assistant manager of Adventureland. He is extremely intolerant of people who litter but is very supportive of his employees and caring for his wife. - Kristen WiigKristen WiigKristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
as Paulette, Bobby's wife and manager of Adventureland. She is often as eccentric as her husband but is much more quiet. - Mary BirdsongMary BirdsongMary Birdsong is an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer.Birdsong was born on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, one of five sisters. She may be best-known for her role as Deputy Cherisha Kimball on the Comedy Central series Reno 911!. She is a former correspondent on The Daily Show and...
as Francy, Em's stepmother. She married Em's father shortly after the death of Em's mother. After her first divorce she lost her hair from the stress of a nervous breakdown and wears a wig. Em says that if she were not a "status-obsessed witch", she might feel bad for her. - Josh PaisJosh PaisJosh Pais is an American actor of film and television.He has appeared in many Hollywood films, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Raphael, Music of the Heart, Scream 3, It Runs in the Family, Little Manhattan and Find Me Guilty. He played Assistant M.E...
as Mr. Lewin, Em's father and Francy's husband. He met Francy at temple while his first wife was slowly dying in the hospital. He married Francy, soon after Em's mother died. - Jack GilpinJack GilpinJack Gilpin is an American actor.Gilpin had a recurring role on the TV series Kate & Allie, and is a frequent Law & Order guest star, having appeared in all three series – Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent...
as Mr. Brennan, James' father. He loses his job and transferred to a different office. He is an alcoholic but tries to hide his drinking from his family. James finds a bottle of scotch underneath his dad's car seat, and he drinks the bottle while driving and crashes into his neighbor's tree. He doesn't tell his mother that the bottle belonged to his father. - Wendie MalickWendie MalickWendie Malick is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles as Judith Tupper Stone on the HBO series Dream On , Nina Van Horn on the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! , Ronee Lawrence on the NBC sitcom Frasier and Victoria Chase on the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland .-Early...
as Mrs. Brennan, James' mother. She is the one that lets James know they can't help them pay for his trip or graduate school. She supplies the discipline of the two parents.(For example she made him pay for the damage to his Dad's car.) However at the end of the film she decides to let James go off to New York City.
Production
Adventureland was filmed in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
from December 2007 to January 2008, with most scenes shot in Kennywood
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
, a historic amusement park in nearby West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census....
. The theme park from the film is based on the Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale, New York
The Village of Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York in the United States...
amusement park Adventureland
Adventureland (New York)
Adventureland is an amusement park in East Farmingdale, New York. Adventureland is located on Route 110 .-History:As Long Island became more populated and more housing developments were starting, a source of entertainment was needed. Many kiddielands were popping up throughout Long Island. Two...
where Mottola once worked in the 1980s. Other scenes were shot in Beaver County
Beaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
and the airport area around the Pennsylvania area (such as the Stardust Lounge in Moon Township).
The story takes place during the summer, but since it was shot in the winter months in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, crews had to often hide snowfall. In some instances, during indoor takes, extras were paid to stand outside surrounding the windows and doors to block the snow falling behind the actors.
Release
The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
and went on general release April 3, 2009.
Critical response
Adventureland opened to largely positive reviews with an 89% based on 194 reviews and considered "Certified Fresh" on the review aggregator site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Metacritic gave the film an aggregate rating of 76 based on 34 select critics.
Box office
In its first week at the box office, Adventureland opened moderately wide in only 1,862 screens grossing $5.7 million ranking #6 at the box office. Despite opening up in fourteen more screens in its second week Adventureland only took in $3.4 million, falling to #9 at the box office. The film concluded its U.S. domestic run on May 28, 2009 with a gross of $16,044,025 and a total international gross of $17,133,754Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Awards "Best Ensemble Cast", scheduled in New York City on November 30, 2009.Adventureland was the winner of High Times Magazine's 2009 Stoner Movie of the Year Award. Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
also received High Times Magazine's 2009 Stonette of the Year Award, due in part to her performance in the film.
Home media
The film was released August 25, 2009 on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
with unrated bonus features.
Soundtrack
A total of 41 songs were licensed for use in the film. The soundtrack includes 14 songs and was released on April 1, 2009. The songs included are mostly from the 1980s, to fit with the setting of the film, with several tracks from the late 1960s and early 1970s, most notably by The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, the New York Dolls and cult darlings Big Star. The 80's bands represent a cross section of alternative bands from the time including Husker Du, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nick Lowe, The Cure and The Replacements.The film maintains a notable reverence for Lou Reed, who is idolized by the main character, featured on t-shirts and posters of other cast members and has likewise elevated the status of the playground mechanic stemming from a rumored jam session with the artist. Earlier versions of the script replaced Lou Reed with singer-songwriter Neil Young as the musician Ryan Reynold's character had played with, and used Young's songs "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)" in key scenes.
Additional songs
A selection of the songs not included on the soundtrack album:
| "Here She Comes Now Here She Comes Now "Here She Comes Now" is the fourth track appearing on The Velvet Underground's second album, White Light/White Heat, released in 1968. The performance and mix of the song are both simple and traditional, making it somewhat distinct from the other five songs on the album, all of which contain some... " by The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited... - plays during the opening credits |
| "Breaking the Law Breaking the Law "Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is recognized by its opening guitar riff.-Music video:... " by Judas Priest Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,... - (scene: James is chased through the park by an angry patron) |
| "Taste of Cindy" (acoustic version) by The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid... |
| "Limelight Limelight (song) "Limelight" is a song by the Canadian progressive rock band Rush. It first appeared on the 1981 album Moving Pictures. The song's lyrics were written by Neil Peart with music written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. "Limelight" expresses Peart's discomfort with Rush's success and being in the limelight... " by Rush Rush (band) Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart... (Munch, one of the games workers, does a poor rendition in an attempt to impress Em, also included in the trailer) |
| "Bastards of Young" by The Replacements (opening sequence) |
| "Here I Go Again Here I Go Again "Here I Go Again" is a #1 hit song recorded by Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners, the song was re-recorded for their eponymous 1987 album Whitesnake. The song was re-recorded yet another time that year in a new "radio-mix" version... " by Whitesnake Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style... |
| "Blister in the Sun Blister in the Sun "Blister in the Sun" is a song by the American alternative rock band Violent Femmes, originally released on their 1983 self-titled debut album. It has also been covered by Nouvelle Vague, on their 2009 album 3. This version was used in an episode Gossip Girl.In August 2007, Gordon Gano was the... " by Violent Femmes Violent Femmes Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009... (used in the trailer) |
| "Tops" by The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up... (scene: "Lisa P is back" at 27:11) |
| "So It Goes" by Nick Lowe Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica... |
| "Let the Music Play" by Shannon Shannon (singer) Shannon is an American singer. She is best known for her 1983 million-selling record, "Let the Music Play". The record re-defined the electro funk sound that would eventually be called freestyle music.-Biography:... (scene: Lisa P dancing in front of a thrill ride at 45:25) |
| "Point of No Return Point of No Return (Exposé song) "Point of No Return" is a single by the female dance-pop trio Exposé. Written and produced by Lewis Martineé, the single was originally released in 1985 with Alejandra Lorenzo as the lead singer... " by Exposé (scene: the Razzmatazz club at 49:15) |
| "In My House" by Mary Jane Girls Mary Jane Girls The Mary Jane Girls were an American R&B, soul, funk and disco group in the 1980s. They were protégées of singer Rick James. They are known for their hit songs "All Night Long", "Candyman" and "In My House".-Formation:... (scene: James and Lisa P in the Razzmatazz club at 1:20:44) |
| "Obsession Obsession (song) "Obsession" is a 1983 song covered in 1984 by the Synthpop-New Wave group Animotion. The song hit number six in the United States, and number five in the United Kingdom in early 1985, helped by a distinctive video that received heavy rotation on MTV.... " by Animotion Animotion Animotion is a 1980s U.S. New Wave/synthpop band from Los Angeles, California best known for their songs "Obsession" , "Let Him Go", "I Engineer" and "Room to Move"... |
| "Dance Hall Days Dance Hall Days "Dance Hall Days" is one of Wang Chung's most popular and best known hit singles. It was released in 1984 on the album Points on the Curve. This was their only song to make the Top 75 charts in the UK, narrowly missing the Top 20. In the U.S... " by Wang Chung Wang Chung (band) Wang Chung are an English New Wave musical group.The group found their greatest success in America, with five Top 40 hits in the US, all charting between 1983 and 1987, including "Dance Hall Days" , "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" and "Let's Go!" .-Pre-history: The Intellektuals and 57 Men :Jeremy... |
| "I Want Action I Want Action "I Want Action" is the third single from Poison, originally from the album Look What the Cat Dragged In.The song was released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, and peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100... " by Poison Poison (band) Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,... |
| "In the Ether" by Black Swan Lane Black Swan Lane Black Swan Lane is a US/UK indie-rock band/project founded in 2007 by Jack Sobel and John Kolbeck and Mark Burgess .... |