More Advetures in Cinema 2009

So it's May 2009 and Mom is in the hospital (she's fine). This as always provides me with an unusual opportunity to be out of the house. I can now get caught up on my film going and do it in actual theaters the way God intended man to see films, God in this case being either an all-powerful and omniscient being or one of the early studio heads like Louis B. Mayer or a Warner brother.
But what to see? It's May after all, before the start of the summer blockbuster season but well post awards season, a kind of cinematic no man's land. Except not so much in 2009. In 2009 I have some options. Toward the end of this five day late- night popcorn frenzy I find myself at The Westside Pavillion's new (at least to me) cinema complex for an 11pm showing of "Adventureland". My expectations are not all that high but sometimes, just occasionally, that makes for a pleasant surprise. This, happily, is one of those cases.
Maybe I was expecting silly comedy. After all director Greg Mattola directed "Superbad" a giant silly hit of the type I usually hate (See the post on "The Hangover"). Here's what I got-- a dark, touching and earnestly amusing look at growing up in the eighties. A character driven coming of age story with wisdom and heart. That's what I got. Hmmm....nice surprise.
This movie has much more to do with "American Graffiti" and "Dazed and Confused" than it does with "Superbad". And thank God for that. At the center of this story are two noteworthy performances by young actors who I hope to see more often. Jesse Eisenberg, who did such a great job as the snide older sibling in "The Squid and the Whale". Here he's a book smart (but not street smart) recent college grad who gets stuck in the summer job from hell at an amusement park. Turns out it's not so bad. He kind of finds his tribe. And there's a beautiful and slightly odd girl (naturally). Romance ensues. The girl is Kristen Stewart who I call a newcomer much to the outrage of most tween girls. Turns out Kristen is also cast as Bella, the lead in the "Twilight" series. Who new? My days as a teenage girl (kidding) are way behind me. Stewart is extraordinary in this complicated role as a complicated young woman. The awkward and honest relationship between Eisenberg and Stewart is what makes this film so effective. And the choice to place it in the eighties, (when Mattola grew up I'm guessing) makes it more so. Ahhh, the eighties. You really have to go a long way to make growing up in the seventies look good. This film is a sleeper for my top ten of 2009. It was a nice surprise. I love surprises.