Textual analysis
Title: adventureland
Date of release: 2009
Director: Gregg Mottola
Genre: comedy, drama, romance
Adventureland is a comedy set in the summer, around 1987 where a high school graduate gets a job at his local amusement park, he sooner realises that the job was just another step to get him prepared for the real world. Before the sequence begins, there is loud upbeat non-diegetic music being played as the titles appear on screen.
The elements of the narrative structure in the opening sequence shows that the equilibrium is of a young white male character back dropped in a setting of a teenage party. The film begins with a medium close up of his face as he stares at a female character, which we are convinced to believe is his girlfriend as she ends the relationship at that moment. There were a lot of straight cuts, long shots, pan, over the shoulder shots etc, this was used because the scene was very fast paced and speedy as it was a party, they wanted us to see the other characters in the background and how they behaved. The camera mainly focuses on the main character and his friends as they are centre of the film. The movement of the camera seemed to be in time with the diegetic music that was being played in the party.
The disruption is later shown; as we are introduced to the main character (James) parents. His parents break the news to him that they are unable to pay for his graduation fee’s and his university bills in the future, due to the fact that his father has lost his position in his job and now has to do another role which pays less money. His parents seem rather decent and upper class due to the way in which they are dressed and the fact that they are having their lunch in a posh, fancy restaurant. The disruption is the fact that “James” is going to have to get a summer job. This appears to be a huge disappointment to him as his family are usually rich and he never thought he would have to be working with lower class people.
The summer job is the most significant part of the film as it is the place where he finds his dream girl and later falls in love with her. The sequence is in chronological order as it carries on the story of James’s summer job and how he continues to build relationships with other characters in the film.
Genre codes and conventions and representations – James’s character seems rather smart and geeky as he was brought up from a middle class family; however he meets some other friends who have a negative influence on him by smoking and regularly going to parties. The way in which he speaks and behaves gives me the impression that he isn’t very confident in himself and he tries to fit in. His hair is quite long and has Minnie little curls which seem quite childish and non- fashionable, whereas some of the other male characters tend to have short gelled or slightly spiked hair, except for his friends at work, which are quite similar to him.
He sometimes seems unsure of himself in terms of his facial expressions, he isn’t laid back and sometimes he looks rather tensed, he acts mature and doesn’t seem to be the type to drink. However his friends are more relaxed, more teenage like and irresponsible. At one point one of his close friend stated, “Quit worrying brother, that’s what weed is for.” His was of speaking is colloquial of the American students, as they tend to speak a lot of slang.
In terms of costumes, James wears shirts most of the time apart from moment where he is working. His surroundings and friends tend to wear t-shirts and jeans, as it is more comfortable for them and fits their social status. It is also a type of modern fashion for teenagers and they tend to wear t-shirts and jeans as a more casual wear.
James’s other friends use props such as, cigarettes, weed, alcohol, chewing gum etc. This is a negative stereotypical view placed upon young adults, to categorise them as irresponsible and immature young people. Gender is also portrayed in a stereotypical way with one of the female characters that work at adventure land. They make her an object of sexual desire as she is always wearing tight revealing clothing. She also chews gum all the time and the way in which she does this could be seen as a form of seduction, as she purses her lips very slowly and sexually.
The themes projected in this film are mainly social realism and romance. It focusses on James’s character and his journey through growing up as he realises that he has to work for what he wants. It also centred on young people growing up and setting themselves up to become adults.
