Adventureland (2009)
Directed by Greg Mottola
"You know what, you can complain about your life all you want. At least you got to go to New York and have this amazing time. I never even got to leave the state."
From the director of Superbad comes the anti-Superbad. Jesse Eisenberg works at a theme park in the summer of '87 with the most perfectly curated '80s soundtrack ever assembled. Kristen Stewart is Em, the girl with eyeliner and emotional damage.
It's nostalgic without being cheesy. It's about being stuck when everyone else is moving forward. The kind of summer job movie that makes minimum wage look romantic. Velvet Underground on repeat. Getting high behind the games booth. First love at a terrible amusement park.
essential tracks:
Lou Reed - "Satellite of Love"
The Cure - "Just Like Heaven"
Hüsker Dü - "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely"