The Only Thing Better Than Winning A Giant Panda, Getting Adventureland On DVD

Remember how much fun everything is when you’re a kid? Simple things like going to day camp, seeing a movie, sharing a pizza pie with a group of friends or even going bowling are absolute thrills. But what’s a thrill for you isn’t as exciting for the employee who has to clean up your mess. Even as you get older you enjoy things like going shopping. But do you ever stop to think of the person who has to collect and refold all of the unworthy items you leave strewn around the dressing room? It’s time to recognize all of the young teenage employees who must take our crap to earn a measly summer buck because on August 25th Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release Adventureland on DVD and Blu-ray.

James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has the world at his feet. He just graduated from Oberlin College and has plans to travel through Europe for the summer before pursuing a graduate degree at Columbia University. All at once his high hopes for the future are wiped out when his girlfriend breaks up with him and his parents tell him they can no longer afford his trip or his graduate education. Not only is James forced to move back home with his parents, but he also has to get a summer job. To make matters worse, the only job he can get is working at a local amusement park called Adventureland. He may be working long hours while not making much money, but what begins as a last resort turns out to be great time. When you’ve got people like Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig and Ryan Reynolds to hang out with, how can you not have a fantastic time?

I walked into Adventureland with especially high expectations. Not only is this Greg Mottola’s followup to Superbad and a film with an excellent cast, but it’s also about the amusement park that I grew up at. Depending on what years in the 1980s Mottola, himself, was an employee at Adventureland he may have seen a young, and likely unruly, version of myself running around desperate to win every stuffed animal in the park. Just as my father always came through when I couldn’t win the toy I wanted, so did Mottola in creating effective dramatic comedy.

From the looks of the bonus feature list, the fun is sure to continue even after the film is over. Even if you haven’t seen the film I wouldn’t suggest buying the single-disc DVD because it doesn’t come with extra material and trust me, you’ll want it. Both the two-disc DVD and the two-disc BD come with deleted scenes with optional commentary by Mottola, audio commentary with Mottola and Eisenberg, “Picture Music Selection” and “Just My Life: The Making of Adventureland” during which Mottola and the cast talk about what real life experiences helped them develop their comedic styles. Exclusive to the Blu-ray version are a digital copy of the movie, “Frigo’s Ball Tap,” “Lisa P’s Guide To Style” and “Welcome to Adventureland.” Considering all three of these extras sound like must-haves, it looks like I’m going to be splurging on this film. Not only is the actor who plays Frigo, Matt Bush, one of the stars of the only commercial campaign that does not make me cringe, the AT&T minutes commercials, but he’s hilarious in Adventureland. If learning Frigo’s ‘testicle tapping’ isn’t your thing, you can learn how to dress like the park’s most desirable ride girl, Lisa P. Finally, “Welcome to Adventureland” teaches you all you need to know about the park with a pair of commercials, employee orientation kit and the park’s drug policy.

Instead of going to an amusement park and blowing an insurmountable amount of cash to win a stuffed bear that’s worth an eighth of what you spent trying to win it, buy Adventureland on Blu-ray for $44.99, the 2-disc DVD for $39.99 or the single-disc DVD for $29.99.