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Adventureland

 Adventureland
type
TVTItem
 Adventureland
label
Adventureland
 Adventureland
page
Adventureland
 Adventureland
comment
It's the summer of 1987. James Brennan, having just graduated from Oberlin College, looks forward to a vacation in Europe with a friend and then graduate school at Columbia University. One little problem: after a financial setback, his parents can no longer afford to help him pay for either. What's a poor over-educated, under-experienced lit-major nerd to do? Oh, get a grunt job at the arcade in the eponymous "Adventureland" amusement park.Jesse Eisenberg stars as Brennan. Kristen Stewart co-stars as his primary love interest, Emily "Em" Lewin. Ryan Reynolds provides the Romantic False Lead, one Mike Connell. Mike is a cool, badass coworker who leads a rock band in his spare time. It's said he once jammed with Lou Reed.While not a box office smash, this 2009 film received good reviews and gained a respectable fan following. Written and directed by Greg Mottola, who had previously directed Superbad, Adventureland attempts a more realistic approach, rather than relying on outlandish hijinks.Believe it or not, the "Adventureland" theme park on which the theme park is based actually exists. However, it is located on Long Island, New York. It can be found here.
 Adventureland
fetched
2023-12-03T18:01:29Z
 Adventureland
parsed
2023-12-03T18:01:29Z
 Adventureland
processingComment
Dropped link to TheNineties: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Adventureland
processingComment
Dropped link to VelvetUnderground: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Adventureland
processingComment
Dropped link to Waiting: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Adventureland
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Adventureland / int_19ebe383
type
Never Trust a Trailer
 Adventureland / int_19ebe383
comment
Never Trust a Trailer: From the ads, you'd think this was just another raunchy sex comedy. Unfortunately, this probably kept away many people who would have enjoyed it for the melancholy dramedy it is.
 Adventureland / int_19ebe383
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_19ebe383
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_19ebe383
 Adventureland / int_24c685bf
type
Good Bad Girl
 Adventureland / int_24c685bf
comment
Good Bad Girl: Lisa P subverts this, twice. At first, it seems that she's playing it straight, until we find out that like Brennan, she's also a virgin. Then we find out that she's the one who spread the gossip that causes the big rift between Em and Brennan and that her views on sexuality and gender roles are rather reactionary.
 Adventureland / int_24c685bf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_24c685bf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_24c685bf
 Adventureland / int_259d5879
type
Anachronism Stew
 Adventureland / int_259d5879
comment
Anachronism Stew: A lot of the fashion looks more like it comes from The '90s rather than The '80s (with the salient exception of the club scenes). Jesse Eisenberg's hair and mannerisms all but scream Millenial, and using slang terms like "weed" rather than "pot" or shortening "douchebag" to "douche" are at least somewhat questionable. A good deal of this could have been averted, since the only real reason for this story to take place in 1987 is, presumably, the director's nostalgia factor (small, rural amusement parks like this do exist today, and even maintain a lot of the old prize games left over from days of yore), and the fact that much of the third act could have been easily resolved with a few text messages. The characters are also very fond of the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed in particular, but this is Truth in Television; people of all generations grow up listening to music from previous generations, and Reed's status as an important forebearer to punk and alternative music had been solidified by the late 1980s.
 Adventureland / int_259d5879
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Adventureland / int_259d5879
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_259d5879
 Adventureland / int_2764d432
type
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
 Adventureland / int_2764d432
comment
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Connell is a mild version of this. He gives James advice on everything and takes him under his wing, and in general appears to be a likable Nice Guy... who is also constantly cheating on his wife.
 Adventureland / int_2764d432
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_2764d432
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_2764d432
 Adventureland / int_2d4fa515
type
Ax-Crazy
 Adventureland / int_2d4fa515
comment
Ax-Crazy: Parodied. Bobby has an aluminum baseball bat, and he would love for you to give him a reason to use it (but it's just an act to keep the scariest customers at bay).
 Adventureland / int_2d4fa515
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_2d4fa515
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_2d4fa515
 Adventureland / int_38d3a0f7
type
Pac-Man Fever
 Adventureland / int_38d3a0f7
comment
Pac Man Fever: Justified that it's an arcade in an amusement park in 1987, so there probably was a game of Donkey Kong in the background making that noise. Incidentally, Kennywood (where the movie was filmed) does continue to operate 1980's arcade games (and many machines even older than that) up to when this film was released.
 Adventureland / int_38d3a0f7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_38d3a0f7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_38d3a0f7
 Adventureland / int_4864031b
type
Informed Attractiveness
 Adventureland / int_4864031b
comment
Informed Attractiveness: Lisa P is desired by all the guys at the park.
 Adventureland / int_4864031b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_4864031b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_4864031b
 Adventureland / int_4f40039e
type
All Drummers Are Animals
 Adventureland / int_4f40039e
comment
All Drummers Are Animals: Munch, really only shown during the scene when he re-enacts the time when he played "Limelight" by Rush.
 Adventureland / int_4f40039e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_4f40039e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_4f40039e
 Adventureland / int_618dc1ea
type
Parent with New Paramour
 Adventureland / int_618dc1ea
comment
Parent with New Paramour: Em resents her father for remarrying so quickly after her mother died, especially since he started dating the other woman while Em's mother was dying of cancer. Her stepmother ultimately forces her father to kick Em out.
 Adventureland / int_618dc1ea
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_618dc1ea
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_618dc1ea
 Adventureland / int_6b3c357e
type
Ivy League for Everyone
 Adventureland / int_6b3c357e
comment
Ivy League for Everyone: Brennan went to Oberlin (a top-tier liberal arts school), and is going to Columbia for graduate school.
 Adventureland / int_6b3c357e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_6b3c357e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_6b3c357e
 Adventureland / int_7eebe99c
type
The Alcoholic
 Adventureland / int_7eebe99c
comment
The Alcoholic: It's hinted that James's dad is this when James finds a bottle of liquor in the family car. When James gets into a drunken accident and his mom is tearing into him about it, his dad looks panic-stricken that James might shift some of the blame to him, but James doesn't.
 Adventureland / int_7eebe99c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_7eebe99c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_7eebe99c
 Adventureland / int_83ea0763
type
Rouge Angles of Satin
 Adventureland / int_83ea0763
comment
Rouge Angles of Satin: "Satin Lives". Em attributes it to "One of those textile worshipping cults, no doubt." Also, there's a ride that's inexplicably called The Flying Dutchman, inexplicably spelled "The Flighing Dutchman."
 Adventureland / int_83ea0763
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_83ea0763
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_83ea0763
 Adventureland / int_905438eb
type
Recycled IN SPACE!
 Adventureland / int_905438eb
comment
Recycled In Space: It's Garden State... in Pittsburgh. Probably could also say it's a much less comedic Waiting... in an amusement park. Especially with Ryan Reynolds acting in both films.
 Adventureland / int_905438eb
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_905438eb
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_905438eb
 Adventureland / int_94e4c8ab
type
Betty and Veronica
 Adventureland / int_94e4c8ab
comment
Betty and Veronica: A double, perhaps triple case: Lisa P is Veronica, Em is Betty to James, while Connell is the Veronica to James' Betty for Em. You could also see Connell's wife as Veronica and Em as Betty for him.
 Adventureland / int_94e4c8ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_94e4c8ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_94e4c8ab
 Adventureland / int_978937d6
type
Brand X
 Adventureland / int_978937d6
comment
Brand X: Adventureland is obviously just Kennywood with a generic name slapped onto it.
 Adventureland / int_978937d6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_978937d6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_978937d6
 Adventureland / int_9f6fb586
type
Leitmotif
 Adventureland / int_9f6fb586
comment
Leitmotif: "Rock Me Amadeus" plays all the time in the park.
 Adventureland / int_9f6fb586
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_9f6fb586
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_9f6fb586
 Adventureland / int_b032e4ed
type
Ms. Fanservice
 Adventureland / int_b032e4ed
comment
Ms. Fanservice: Lisa P. And again Em (perhaps to a lesser degree than Lisa, though). At least, James certainly sees her that way in the pool.
 Adventureland / int_b032e4ed
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_b032e4ed
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_b032e4ed
 Adventureland / int_b5c47a93
type
A Degree in Useless
 Adventureland / int_b5c47a93
comment
A Degree in Useless: Brennan tries to get a job in the beginning of the film, but no one hires him. He declares that his literature degree makes him "not even fit for manual labor". Joel is currently a Penn State student, majoring in Russian literature and Slavic languages, and predicts that his careers include "cabby, hot dog vendor, marijuana delivery guy. The world is my oyster".
 Adventureland / int_b5c47a93
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_b5c47a93
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_b5c47a93
 Adventureland / int_b6cebad3
type
Double Standard
 Adventureland / int_b6cebad3
comment
Double Standard: Conversed and defied by Brennan in a notable example. When Connell and Em's affair is brought to light, despite the fact Connell is married, its Em that everyone starts to shame and blame for it. Despite being hurt from her doing it, since he really liked Em, Brennan is pissed when Lisa P spouts this view.
 Adventureland / int_b6cebad3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_b6cebad3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_b6cebad3
 Adventureland / int_be977433
type
Good-Times Montage
 Adventureland / int_be977433
comment
Good-Times Montage: Post cookies on the dogems to Just Like Heaven.
 Adventureland / int_be977433
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_be977433
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_be977433
 Adventureland / int_caa28b82
type
Cloudcuckoolander
 Adventureland / int_caa28b82
comment
Cloudcuckoolander: Bobby and Paulette, the owners of Adventureland, slip into this more often than not
 Adventureland / int_caa28b82
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_caa28b82
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_caa28b82
 Adventureland / int_dfb71617
type
Male Gaze
 Adventureland / int_dfb71617
comment
Male Gaze: At least one long tracking shot of Lisa P.'s butt while Joel gushes about it in the background. And James ogling Em in a soaking shirt and swimsuit bottoms.
 Adventureland / int_dfb71617
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_dfb71617
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_dfb71617
 Adventureland / int_e28f88b8
type
Last-Name Basis
 Adventureland / int_e28f88b8
comment
Last-Name Basis: Most people refer to James as "Brennan", rather than James.
 Adventureland / int_e28f88b8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_e28f88b8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_e28f88b8
 Adventureland / int_e5394bff
type
Souvenir Land
 Adventureland / int_e5394bff
comment
Souvenir Land: The main setting and source of the title.
 Adventureland / int_e5394bff
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_e5394bff
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_e5394bff
 Adventureland / int_e84a7d27
type
Genre Refugee
 Adventureland / int_e84a7d27
comment
Genre Refugee: Frigo seems to have wandered in from your typical raunchy teen comedy as opposed to the much more realistic, grounded film he's in.
 Adventureland / int_e84a7d27
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_e84a7d27
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_e84a7d27
 Adventureland / int_eaf5a1ac
type
Groin Attack
 Adventureland / int_eaf5a1ac
comment
Groin Attack: Brennan's idiot friend, Frigo, is very fond of punching him in the junk. It gets old real quick.
 Adventureland / int_eaf5a1ac
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_eaf5a1ac
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_eaf5a1ac
 Adventureland / int_eb8ec7c8
type
Jerkass
 Adventureland / int_eb8ec7c8
comment
Jerkass: Frigo, mostly because of all his junk-punching.
 Adventureland / int_eb8ec7c8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_eb8ec7c8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_eb8ec7c8
 Adventureland / int_f9f2c33
type
Running Gag
 Adventureland / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: Frigo hitting James in the groin. James does get his revenge at the end, though.
 Adventureland / int_f9f2c33
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_f9f2c33
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_f9f2c33
 Adventureland / int_name
type
ItemName
 Adventureland / int_name
comment
 Adventureland / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Adventureland / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Adventureland / int_name
 Adventureland / int_name
itemName
Adventureland

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 AdventureLand
sameAs
Adventureland
 Adventureland
hasFeature
A Degree in Useless / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
seeAlso
Adventureland
 Adventureland
hasFeature
'80s Hair / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Fictional Video Game / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Genre Refugee / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Rouge Angles of Satin / int_96180fe1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
That Nostalgia Show / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
The '80s / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
The '80s / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Unrated Edition / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland
hasFeature
Video Arcade / int_96269bc1
 Adventureland (Video Game)
seeAlso
Adventureland