Adventureland: This is not what you would expect from the trailers, which present the film as a typical teen sex comedy. It is not what you would expect from Greg Mottola, who directed the recent Superbad and wrote and directed this film. While Superbad had, I’m told, some sweet moments it was also had a lot of raunchy moments. Adventureland is imbued with sweetness. It treats the young people, who are in their early twenties, with respect and tenderness. Even the parents are not caricatures. With the exception of a step-mother, the adults are shown as real, though perhaps flawed, people. Jesse Eisenberg is James whose college graduation coincides with his father’s demotion and pay cut. He had been promised a trip to Europe as a graduation present, but instead must find a summer job to fund grad school in the Fall. Eisenberg may remind you of Michael Sera from Juno. Both tend to play smart, sweet young men who know they are not the coolest guy around. Eisenberg manages to create an extremely likeable character here, and I found myself wanting to know what happens to him after the end of the film. That doesn‘t happen very often. Taking a job at Adventureland, a local amusement park, James meets a variety of characters. Most importantly, he meets Em (Kristen Stewart) and falls in love. We have been fans of Stewart ever since we saw her in the independent film, The Cake Eaters. She is an impressive talent, and I suppose her new vampire movie, Twilight, will make her a star. We liked everyone in this film, especially Ryan Reynolds as the maintenance man and sex symbol of Adventureland (the amusement park). He could have been a stereotype, but he plays the part with a wry understanding that surprised and pleased us. Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig from SNL are very amusing as the park manager and his rather strange wife. Growing up isn’t easy, but you will like and empathize with Jesse and his friends. The film is set in 1987 and the production takes great care in getting the details right. GRADE B+