Adventureland

--R-- To start with the marketers of this movie completely misrepresented what it was about and the category in which it should fit. I distinctly remember watching the trailers and thinking that Adventureland was going to be another Superbad, Knocked Up type comedy. So, instead of watching a crude low brow comedy I was surprised to see a pleasant dramedy that had the same look, feel and flow as Juno.

Now, Adventureland isn't Juno, it isn't based on a pregnant teenager that is surprisingly well informed and mature for her age. No, this is about an over-educated kid working at an amusement park trying to earn enough money for graduate school...oh did I mention that it is based in the great bygone era of 1987! You have a couple of social misfits, mixed with an older musician that is living dangerously close to being a pedophile, a couple of misplaced intellectuals and your stereotypical arrogant pretty people that act dumb, and are dumb....Phew!

Okay...okay! I have given you way too much background on the characters. Part of the reason I found it so enjoyable is because I was taken aback at what the movie actually was. In short, this is a character story about a smart boy finding confidance and his relationship with an emotionally stunted, self-destructive, underachieving rich girl.

Adventureland is a movie that I hope everyone can enjoy, not just for it's self effacing humor, or the nostalgia it might illicit, but for the overall story, direction and execution that combined to make this a film that stands out in its misrepresented category.



cah

Leatherheads

--PG-13-- Clooney followed a well established path in making this film. Most people won't recognize that because they haven't watched film from yesteryear. I have, and know that the witty dialogue and quick banter is a style that was used in the fifties, and brought to modern day audiences by the Cohen Brothers early work Hudsucker Proxy.

I dare say that most people haven't seen Hudsucker and therefore will think that Clooney was original and creative in making Leatherheads. Obviously I disagree with that assertion.

That being said Clooney and company did a wonderfully pleasant job in making this film. I may be stretching here but I think most football fans would love to see a movie about the early years of professional football. In addition to the sports aspect the aforementioned witty dialogue, coupled with engaging stars like Clooney, Zellweger and Krasinski you find that Leatherheads is quite enjoyable, albeit a bit uneven.

The overwhelming feeling that you take from this film is the fact that when it is funny it is some of the most laugh out loud hilarity I have seen since...honestly I don't have a comedy to compare it to. Mainly, because this film isn't low-brow, slapstick, or potty humor: It is smart! Something that most film goers aren't use to seeing in today's dumbing down of audiences with films such as; Austen Powers, Waterboy, Anchorman and more notably the Farrely brothers films beginning with There's Something About Mary. No this film is different...in a decidedly good way.

Now the flip side is, when the dramatic scenes begin they are extremely slow and come close to the border of boredom. We are talking about Dances With Wolves boredom.

Overall, the funny and humorous scenes overwhelm that feeling of boredom. The movie starts funny and ends funny, you just will have to endure 20 minutes scattered throughout the film of its nearly 2 hour runtime in restful sleep.



cah

Juno

--PG-13-- This movie is a perfect example of what is wrong with the rating system of America. While technically there is no F... words, no violence, no nudity or sex (the tell tale reasons for an R rating), this movie is of decidedly adult material and should not be seen by anyone of younger than adulthood.

That said; Juno is a sweet, fun, quirky film that exemplifies what a slice of life film should be. Juno Macguff is an outcast that is smarter and far more mature than your average 16 year old. The film begins with Juno taking her third pregnancy test refusing to believe that she is indeed pregnant. I mean after all she only had sex once and only did it because she was bored...and did it with her best friend Bleeker.

Now, Bleeker unlike Juno (that while she is an outcast is one of those people that doesn't care and in fact flourishes in her uniqueness), Bleeker is odd, geeky and as far as Juno is concerned the coolest guy she knows. Anyway I digress, Juno is a story about a teenage girl's pregnancy, the decisions she makes and how she grows into an even more mature and unique individual that realizes...oh well you have to see it to find out what she discovers about herself and life.

Once again Juno is a superb film, one that I recommend to anyone that can handle adult situations, because even though this film is about teenagers and received the rating of PG-13 the dialogue and situations call for a far more mature mindset.

cah