Adventureland (R, 2009)

At first, ADVENTURELAND seems cut from the same cloth as director Greg Mottola's Superbad: crude, irreverent, raunchy, nerd-celebratory, and driven by male hormones. And it is all that, to a certain degree. But where Superbad had a heart hidden at its core, Adventureland wears its heart on its sleeve. For all its hipster cred (the Lou Reed- and David Bowie-peppered retro/alt rock soundtrack clues viewers in fairly quickly), Adventureland is primarily a romance. Circumstances are complex, families don't always have the answer, the best friendships can sting, and love strangely trumps most.

James, played skillfully by Eisenberg, is a lot like Say Anything's Lloyd Dobler: sweet, earnest, and not altogether together. He longs to be in love, and though that may rate him a loser in some circles, he's not one here. Unfortunately, Stewart's Em is no Diane Court. Stewart (who filmed this movie pre-Twilight) is adept and believable as her character, but in failing to add layers to her performance, she risks turning Em in to an "edgy, complex girl" stereotype. And why would James be smitten with anything typical? (Plus, their chemistry isn't exactly sizzling.) Ditto Ryan Reynolds as a married maintenance worker who seems to forget that he's supposed to be older -- and act older -- than the college kids he works with every summer. Still, there's plenty in here to enjoy. Though the film won't likely have Say Anything's staying power, it's a decent, entertaining imitator.