By Sarah Sluis
The most hyped release of the week is Adventureland (1,862 theatres). From Superbad director Greg Mottola, it's set in the time of 1980's John Hughes movies, but the tale of "a dweeby nebbish [who] improbably wins the heart of a gorgeous babe" (according to our reviewer Ethan Alter) is told with
considerable more bite. The movie has a fantastic retro soundtrack and clothing, and unlike its 1980s predecessors, has no qualms making marijuana, not alcohol, the slacker-theme park drug of choice. Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg make a somewhat unlikely pairing, with Stewart playing a variation of "the typical manic pixie dream girl who teaches the nerdy hero how to loosen up and enjoy life." Even more unlikely is the casting of Ryan Reynolds (who recently wed Scarlett Johannsson) as an older, married maintenance worker who likes to carry out summer affairs with young members of the staff--Stewart included. Mottola does a great job setting up the "rules" of the theme park much like films like Mean Girls set up their high school hierarchies. Eisenberg and Stewart are "Games" people, not the coveted "Rides" people, and treated accordingly. The whole operation is overseen by a hilariously enthusiastic couple, played by SNL's Kristin Wiig and Bill Hader. The small release means it will likely come it no higher than #3 for the week (behind Monsters vs. Aliens and Fast & Furious), but at least the theatres will be packed enough to inspire contagious laughter.
Vin Diesel returns to the franchise that made him famous in Fast & Furious (3,462 theatres), the fourth installment of the film-slash-excuse for car chases and automobile fetishization. Our critic Daniel Eagan found "the stunts...as thrilling as they are implausible." But for viewers seeking "a throwback to an earlier
age of exploitation films," it's an old formula [that] still make[s] sense...Solid and satisfying, it should win over mainstream viewers as well as gearheads."
Even with an evangelical showing of "gearheads," Monsters vs. Aliens will likely win over the box office for a second week. A failure to do so will be a big upset for the film, which has been playing well in 3D venues. The 2D screens, by comparison, are considerably more empty, at least according to the talk at Showest.
On the specialty side, New Yorkers have a lot to choose from: Sugar, a "fictionalized tale of a Dominican baseball player trying to make it in the States," uses its story to comment on "acculturation and the immigrant experience." Paris 36, a "let's put on a show" musical with a lush, 1936 Paris setting, and, closer to home, Gigantic, a slightly surreal romance and comedy set in the Big Apple itself. Or, if you want to go out of this world, Alien Trespass, a sci-fi tale "with echoes of It Came from Outer Space and other 1950s drive-in classics" and "a paragon of dry humor," releases in 40 theatres across the country. Next Monday, we'll recap and sort out the winners and losers at the box office.
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