Adventureland

Greg Mottola's follow-up to "Superbad" charts the lost summer of college graduate James (Jesse Eisenberg) working in a rickety theme park in 1987. James is like a high school nerd who discovered in college that ambition and intelligence are actually admirable qualities. But they are lost on this crowd except for Em (Kristen Stewart), the smart, supercool and somewhat messed-up girl that makes the job bearable. It's less outrageously funny than "Superbad" but more savvy. They may be technically adults, but their social behavior hasn't matured much beyond high school, and James' co-workers still seem trapped in identities that formed long before. Written with an empathy for all the characters and directed with a sharp eye for telling detail and a sensitivity to honest social behavior and cruel social double standards, it's about relationships and responsibility and identity. The coming-of-age story really is about growing up.

Writer/director Mottola and actor Eisenberg begin their commentary with deadpan goofing but slowly ease into real observations and discussions of Mottola's inspirations. The 16-minute "Just My Life: The Making of Adventureland" is a nicely made behind-the-scenes featurette with plenty of outtakes and some entertaining interviews with the cast members, and there are three short deleted scenes (with optional commentary). Exclusive to the Blu-ray are two very brief and quite fun featurettes ("Frigo's Ball Taps," a guide to rapping guys in the crotch, and "Lisa P's Style Guide," on how not to dress for success), mock commercials and training videos (you too can work at Adventureland after this orientation) and a digital copy of the film for portable media players.