JOHN ANDERSON - MOVIE REVIEWS ADVENTURELAND

MOVIE REVIEWS ADVENTURELAND

Adventureland , which has attracted little pre-release buzz, could very well prove to be a sleeper hit if the public's reaction to it is anything like the critics'. Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times begins his review by remarking "The thing to know about Adventureland is not just that it has goals above its station but that it actually achieves them." A.O. Scott in the New York Times comments that the film "plants its flag in thoroughly explored territory, but that familiarity turns out to be integral to its loose and scruffy appeal. Somehow the story of a young man's coming of age never gets old, at least when it is told with the kind of sweetness and intelligence Adventureland displays." And John Anderson, writing in Newsday, advises adult moviegoers that while the film may be aimed at teens, "it's a sophisticated film that just happens to be about unformed people and their raw emotions." But Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal , while calling Adventureland "an ambitious film," notes that the movie "like the amusement park of its title, feels constructed from familiar parts."

03/04/2009