“Adventureland” seemed to somehow go under the radar of most people and that’s a real shame because it is something of a masterpiece. A first glance may make you dismiss as another disposable teen comedy but it presents an honest and smart look at the teenage experience.

In this movie, the year is 1987 and the young James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg “The Social Network”, “The Double”) is forced to ditch his plans to travel around Europe as he must instead take a summer job at the Adventureland amusement park. This might seem like the most pointless time of his life but he comes to realise how important an experience this might be.

Jesse Eisenberg is great as the awkward yet very relatable James. Kristen Stewart (“Jumper”, “Panic Room”) plays Em Lewin, who James falls in love with, and she does a really great job. The chemistry between the two is practically perfect; you really feel like you are watching a real pair of teens fall for one another. There are some other funny characters such as Bobby (Bill Hader “Inside Out”), who is James’ boss. Ryan Reynolds (“Green Lantern”) plays a maintenance man that has an interesting role in the film’s plot. Most of the characters are entertaining.

Fans of other teen comedies may be left puzzled by “Adventureland” as it is an intelligent movie that doesn’t utilise bodily fluids for lowbrow laughs. “Adventureland” is a witty romantic comedy that almost feels as though it were made by Woody Allen (“Manhattan”) because like many of Allen’s best films, it only feels funny in the same way that life can be funny. In some respects, in feels comparable to films such as “Clerks” and “Office Space” but it’s better than either of them. This is a truly wonderful film that I think more people need to check out.