Ill-Informed Gadfly

You may expect “Adventureland” to be silly and juvenile, with its amusement-park setting, cast of talented goofballs and marketing campaign that plays up its ties to “Superbad.” But sometimes low expectations can give way to profound experiences. “Adventureland” turns out to be a remarkable artistic achievement by writer-director Greg Mottola, a mature and delicate movie about growing up. Mottola didn’t write the sometimes crude “Superbad,” but as director, he supplied the awkwardness, the grit, the feeling of resignation that often defines adolescent experience. He brings a similar, and more consistent, tone to “Adventureland,” which follows a recent college graduate as he navigates the working world and adult relationships for the first time. The movie has a remarkably lifelike texture, and Mottola often stages scenes that make one point through dialogue and another through silences, gestures or background action. The director and his cast acknowledge the humanity of even minor characters, resisting the urge to make them easy villains or one-note wackjobs. As the hero, Jesse Eisenberg radiates intelligence and registers the moments when naivete gives way to wisdom. Kristen Stewart and newcomer Margarita Levieva vividly etch the distinct personalities of the two women who vie for Eisenberg’s affections. The 1987 setting allows Mottola to demonstrate his fluency in both the popular and underground music of the period; “Adventureland” is the best 80s mix tape you could hope to hear. It’s a nearly perfect movie — funny, incisive and wistful.