It's pretty difficult to work up much interest in yet another summer-themed coming-of-age movie, especially one starring Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame. But Adventureland is a quiet stunner: understated and smart, emotional but unsentimental, and often very funny where most movies of its ilk aspire only to cheap laughs. Writer/director Greg Mottola based the movie on his own experiences working at a theme park in his youth, and the result may just be the first authentic period piece about the 1980s.
Holding it all together is the best soundtrack to come along in years. From the perfectly chosen Replacements numbers that bookend the movie to vintage songs from Lou Reed, Big Star, and countless others, it refurbishes the reputation of 70s and '80s rock. Plus it all sounds fantastic in Dolby Digital 5.1 on this DVD.
Picture quality is less successful, unfortunately, with color saturation that is pushed almost to the brink. And the extras pretty much fall flat, tossing off a lame documentary and a commentary track in which Mottola and actor Jesse Eisenberg deliver one groan-inducer after another. Adventureland deserved better. Download Adventureland full movie (DVD,DivX,iPod,PDA)
