One of the movies attracting the most attention at Sundance this past weekend was Adventureland, which premiered to a packed house. Directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad), the movie stars SNL actors Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, Jesse Eisenberg (Squid and the Whale), and Kristen Stewart (Twilight).
Adventureland tells the story of fresh-out-of-college James Brennan, who's headed for Europe then to Columbia grad school, where he'll live with his wealthy best friend. At James' graduation dinner, he goes over his financial checklist with his mother and father -- only to learn that his dad has recently been demoted, meaning no check for James. To raise the money for grad school, he takes a summer job at amusement park, where his adventures include nearly being stabbed by a crazed dad seeking a stuffed panda.
Mottola said Adventureland was loosely based on his life growing up in Long Island and a summer job working in an amusement park. He also revealed that Kristen Stewart's character Em is a "composite of a few ex-girlfriends."