Some have credited producer/writer/director Judd Apatow as a power transforming (or reinvigorating) cinematic comedy. However, I can’t reconcile a film like Superbad with a good number of the films that bear the Apatow mantle.
(Not just Step Brothers, which I’ve recently suffered. Take a look at his producer resume, there are some marginal and poor entries there.) Superbad, however was also directed by Greg Mottola, the writer/director of Adventureland, a film to be both enjoyed and admired for it’s unapologetic exploration of character. It’s also a loving indictment of the culture of non-conformist conformity called the 1980’s. Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale, Roger Dodger) is perfectly cast as the nonplussed martyr/hero James “Brennan,” a guy whose sincerity just barely trumps his naiveté. (His name seemed anachronistic at first, until I realized it was his last name.)
Adventureland is set in a suburban theme park (and surroundings), where Brennan reluctantly finds employment which he feels is beneath him, after his plans to travel Europe the summer between college and grad school are derailed by his parents’ financial problems (the likely result of the father’s alcoholism, something the movie leaves largely unaddressed). He is immediately drawn to the moody “Em” (Kristen Stewart), a 
clever girl caught up in a secret affair with the park’s married maintenance man. The romantic arch of the film is refreshing for its struggle against inevitability and dominance. While you can’t help but want Brennan and Em to hook up in the end, the film is populated by enough interesting (and by in large well-drawn) characters to keep us interested in the larger spectacle of Adventureland, not just it’s leading players.
This is comedy that doesn’t try too hard (the same could be say for the film’s dramatic and romantic genre origins as well). And while that may result in a film that leave some in the audience slightly underwhelmed, a film like Adventureland is likely to be well-loved now and over time, while the likes of Step Brothers are likely (please, please, God) to soon be forgotten.
Here are this morning’s Oscar-nominated films, alphabetically. The nominees for foreign language film and documentary feature are compiled at the end of the list. (Short format nominees are listed in a 
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