Adventureland

(This entry was started April 6, 2009, less than a week after my viewing of the movie. I forgot to finish writing. It stayed as a draft until it was finally completed on June 14, 2009.)

I wasn't expecting much out of a coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama about a summer job at an amusement park, and it met those expectations.

James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) is a recent college graduate. Em Lewin (Kristen Stewart) is an NYU college student. Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds) is an unhappily married, part-time musician, and works maintenance at the theme park. Connell tries to maintain his youth through the park where the ever-changing workforce believes he is a rock god. Em and Connell have an intimate but emotionless relationship, but James and Em develop their own meaningful relationship during the summer.

Something about the cast bothered me, and IMDb confirmed my suspicions. Kristin Stewart was born in 1990, which means she is too young for alcohol. Yet the character of Em acts out by drinking, smoking pot, and maintains an inappropriate relationship with Connell. Ryan Reynolds was born in 1976. This is an actual age difference of 24 years. Ugh. The central relationship between James and Em was better, but Jesse Eisenberg was born in 1983. The seven year difference between the actors didn't match the two or three year difference between the characters.

Should I feel old for having taking concern with the actors, their ages, their roles, and their actions? If I did, I'd have to make the same complaints about any coming-of-age film. It's the shenanigans of the underage central characters that make these film what they are.