Adventureland

So, the other day I saw this movie that claimed to be this year's 'Juno' and this generation's 'Dazed and Confused'- all empty promises made a million times over. But I have to say, although it did not live up to it's 'Dazed' assumptions, it was a genuinely original, interesting movie. And as much as I hate to admit it, I loved Kristen Stewert in this movie. She plays Em, the semi-mysterious/only regular girl working at Adventureland, all the others seem to be vapid, shallow sluts/teases. Early on, it's not hard to figure out that Em and married Adventureland stud, Connell, have a thing. The story progresses through James's summer, but again, the really interesting character was Em. She is described as being "Two doors down from the girl next door" (take that as you will) and she spends most of her time "rebelling" against her dad and stepmom, mostly trying to get her Dad's attention and generally feeling bad about her whole familial situation. (Her mom died of cancer, her dad remarried a bald woman and Em's having an affair.) The movie is just really interesting, especially how it plays on stereotypical male and female roles: James is a virgin in college and believes in true love and is a total romantic, Em is cynical and untrusting and, we'll just say, not a pure as snow. There was one scene that I just nearly busted out of my seat, because it hit SO close to home.

I have this friend see, he's an amazing guy, literally I know no one better, and he was dating this girl that he really liked, which was a big deal for him. They dated for a while, he was in love, then all the sudden she pulled the carpet out from under him and told him she couldn't be in a serious relationship with him because he was Jewish and she was Catholic- just like with Joel and Sue- and just like Joel, my friend tries to tell the girl that while his family is mostly Jewish, he's very open about religion, but she still refuses. Very much like Em, I was incensed, not just by this girl's lack of humility, understanding, and antisemitic attitude, but also that my friend would lower himself to deny something as culturally important as his origins, just for some girl to like him! I mean, what IS that?
People tick in all sorts of weird ways. Em was a complex, real character and I very much enjoyed finally seeing a developed, deep role by Kristen Stewert. The movie had a happy ending (which I won't give away here) which gave me hope. Even though your life is messed up and you forget how to love yourself, you make a bunch of bad decisions just to get someone's attention, doing the worst you can just to hear someone say 'I love you anyway,' it's rough. Em was a perfect example of that, and not in an over the top 'I'm-so-angsty' sort of way, so thumbs up for you Kristen Stewert.