Wonkette Movie Night: Adventureland

'We are doing the work of pathetic, lazy morons.'

The summer job. Learning about life and making some cash.

Back when a warm weather gig meant twentysomethings trying to earn some extra income for fun things, which was apparently a gazillion years ago. Now those jobs are being done by older people trying to make some money to pay the bills.

James has just graduated from college and discovered that his parents can no longer afford to send him on his long planned dream trip to Europe, or pay for his grad school. James needs to get a job, and with no experience he ends up at the only place that doesn’t care about experience, Adventureland amusement park.

He works in games and is educated in the ways of this unamusing amusement park by Joel — how all the games are rigged, the rides are risky, and the food is questionable. But it does foster a family of sorts, this group of young people, who fall in love and out again, lives that are caught between childhood and becoming an adult. Their relationships are more complex and they see the world differently.

When James meets Em there is a spark and they slowly build a relationship, while at the same time their hearts are pulled in all kinds of directions by others. Will this summer romance become something deeper, will it be there when the summer ends?

Filmed in Pennsylvania at the historic Kennywood amusement park, Adventureland was written by director Greg Mottola about his own youth spent working at the real Adventureland in Farmingdale, Long Island, in New York. “Adventureland 110 Playland” opened in 1960, and it somehow survived the fate of many other amusement and theme parks, those that failed and were left to decay. It is still in operation today and has only grown with new rides and arcade games.

And in what is oddly reflective of the film, just 2 weeks ago, several kids had to be rescued from the “Wave Twister” after being trapped 75 feet off the ground for nearly 3 hours.

I can imagine park manager Bobby unloading some funky but still edible corndogs on these kids as an apology.

In 2009 the film received high honors from High Times magazine, with the “Stoner Movie of the Year Award,” and also awarded Kristen Stewart the “Stonette of the Year Award.”

Adventureland stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Martin Starr, Margarita Levieva, Matt Bush, and Wendie Malick. Directed by Greg Mottola.

Adventureland is available for free with ads on Pluto TV; with subscription on MGM+; $3.99-4.99 in the usual places.

To make requests and see the movie lists and schedules, go to WonkMovie.

The animated short is Coaster from EmotionalFulls and directed by Amos Sussigan.

Next week’s Movie Night selection is 12 Monkeys, available for free with ads on YouTube; $3.99 in the usual places.

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