Rated: 14A
Starring: a believably virginal Jesse Eisenberg, a believably miserable Kristen Stewart and tall drink of gorgeous water Ryan Reynolds. (Also the underused combo of Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader)
Plot: James (Eisenberg) is standing on life’s precipice. He has just graduated college and is eagerly planning to tour around Europe with a wealthy college friend before heading to Columbia in the fall for journalism school. But he’s hit with a bombshell. His father has suffered a professional crisis which means not only is Europe off the table – but so are his graduate school plans in the fall. Reluctantly, he accepts a “nothing” job at a local amusement park where he ends up meeting an array of individuals from all walks of life that end up changing his life for the better.
Tanya’s verdict: I first watched this movie in 2009 and loved it. On re-watching it now, it’s not as amazingly awesome as in my nostalgic memory – but it’s still pretty damned good. It’s humourous, real, interesting and entertaining – not to mention chock-full of 80s song classics! It has the gritty and hilarious feel of Superbad which makes sense because they share the same director. If you haven’t watched it or haven’t even heard of it – I highly recommend it.