a comedy-drama film set in 1987

Adventureland is a comedy-drama film set in 1987 and follows the story of a guy named James Brennan who plans on spending Lisa's summer vacation traveling across Europe after Lisa's graduation, but Lisa's parents tell Lisa that they can’t afford Lisa's expenses and that Lisa needs to work during Lisa's summer vacation.

a surprisingly sweet and tender coming-of-age romance, peopled with (mostly) intelligent characters trapped in utterly believable situations that are shown warts and all,

At its core, Adventureland is a surprisingly sweet and tender coming-of-age romance, peopled with (mostly) intelligent characters trapped in utterly believable situations that are shown warts and all, but with sympathy rather than contempt.

At its core with sympathy rather than contempt

At its core, Adventureland is a surprisingly sweet and tender coming-of-age romance, peopled with (mostly) intelligent characters trapped in utterly believable situations that are shown warts and all, but with sympathy rather than contempt.

a typical coming-of-age dramedy that seldom steps out of the genre’s limits

In many ways, Adventureland is a typical coming-of-age dramedy that seldom steps out of the genre’s limits.

a tender little dramedy about the dead zone between university and adulthood

Though marketed as a ribald teen farce along the lines of Greg Mottola's previous hit Superbad, Adventureland is actually a tender little dramedy about the dead zone between university and adulthood.

a college kid angst romance with some good jokes

Electric Boogaloo or something, which Adventureland totally is not) Adventureland is not actually that funny; Adventureland is a college kid angst romance with some good jokes.

a family friendly theme and amusement park offering games, bumper cars, bumper boats, go-cart racetrack, putt-putt golf, batting cages and an arcade

Adventureland is a family friendly theme and amusement park offering games, bumper cars, bumper boats, go-cart racetrack, putt-putt golf, batting cages and an arcade.

a fun watch teeming with comedic talent

Adventureland is a fun watch teeming with comedic talent and once again we find Kristen Stewart, Kristen Stewart of effervescent complicated summer sexuality, falling incomprehensibly for a misunderstood weirdo.

hyper-violent teen-romance fantasy

It’s a weird, wacked-out, sometimes wonderful mash-up of stoner comedy, spy-conspiracy spoof and hyper-violent teen-romance fantasy—think of Eisenberg and Stewart’s characters several years down the road from their 2009 collaboration Adventureland, caught between The Bourne Conspiracy and Pineapple Express, and spattered with Oliver Stone’s bloody overspray from Natural Born Killers.

about the exploration of the African Rainforest, Polynesian Islands, and the unknown areas of African, during the early to mid 20th century Asia, and South America

Adventureland is about the exploration of the African Rainforest, Polynesian Islands, and the unknown areas of African, Asia, and South America during the early to mid 20th century.

rock solid, youngish angst… well, rock solid, youngish angst’s not adventure really

Adventureland is rock solid, youngish angst… well, rock solid, youngish angst’s not adventure really.

a melancholy voyage into the grey zone between adolescence and adulthood, school and career, lust and relationships, frivolity and responsibility

Adventureland' is a melancholy voyage into the grey zone between adolescence and adulthood, school and career, lust and relationships, frivolity and responsibility.

a crummy park full of rigged games and rides in desperate need of a safety inspection (which they would fail)

Adventureland is a crummy park full of rigged games and rides in desperate need of a safety inspection (which they would fail), making for a crummy job of putting up with entitled 20-something yuppies and latchkey kids whose parents are too tired to discipline, all of whom are having the best day of their summer while each day the park’s employees sleepwalk through an endless cycle of worsts.

a coming of age drama

At a teen film's heart Adventureland is a coming of age drama.

a small gem that deftly balances the sophomoric hijinx of your typical teen comedy with some detailed and realistic observations about being a young adult working in a crummy job, waiting for one’s real life to start

Adventureland is a small gem that deftly balances the sophomoric hijinx of your typical teen comedy with some detailed and realistic observations about being a young adult working in a crummy job, waiting for one’s real life to start.