Adventureland (2009, Dir: Greg Mottola)

I loved Greg Mottola’s last film, Superbad. It’s probably my favourite teen comedy. Mainly because it seems a hell of a lot more realistic than the usual way in which Hollywood handles teen culture – American Pie, Cruel Intentions, Ten Things I Hate About You, etc. In these slick light-hearted flicks, the kids are always rich with huge houses and new cars. Bad language is always moderate (to push for the lower age certificate) and sex is never a dirty thing. Thank heavens for the adventures of Seth, Evan and Fogell to put a bit of realism back in the genre.

Not only was Superbad hilarious, but it was highly believable and above all, it successfully captured that last fleeting teenage friendship before you start spending more time with the opposite sex.

All of this makes Mottola’s new film, Adventureland, all the more disappointing. There’s nothing specifically wrong with it, but there’s just nothing specifically right with it either. If Superbad was a house party with your friends on a Friday night, then Adventureland is stuck at home babysitting. It should be a worthy follow-up to Superbad, but even though it ticks all the right boxes, there’s just something missing.

The year is 1987. The leads are Jesse Eisenberg (likeable nerd) and Kristen Stewart ("Schwing!"). The location is a fun park (nice and sketchy). There are a few decent supporting roles (Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds). The soundtrack’s great (Lou Reed, Bowie, The Cure). So what’s wrong?

Well, for a start it’s a very sober tale. After the excesses of Superbad, Adventureland feels very reined in, with the emphasis on the romance rather than the comedy. There’s a faint whiff of autobiography in the tale (Mottola also wrote the film), and this is where I think the film starts to fall down. Overly concerned with trying to recreate his memory of 1987, Mottola has forgotten to cater for anybody who didn’t turn 18 in that year.

The clever thing about Superbad was that for all its offensiveness, it was essentially a very sweet tale about two best-friends. Adventureland has all the tenderness, but none of the vulgarity. And just to prove this, when the credits rolled and the lights came back in the cinema, I noticed the row in-front was occupied by a group of 11- or 12-year old girls. Presumably, they were attracted by the light of Kristen Stewart’s Twilight fame, but the very fact that they could even get into the film speaks volumes about its content.