Well, since we did prom a couple weeks back it's now time for graduation, which will be the theme of our Movie of the Day series for the rest of the week. We start off with this sweetly satisfying and underrated movie from 2009, a film that was more than a little surprising to me because, fair or not, I can't walk into anything starring Kristen Stewart with any degree of optimism. But I'm willing to admit that she's actually pretty good in this comedy set in 1987 about a recent college grad James (Jesse Eisenberg), who moves back home to Pennsylvania and has to work at the local amusement park for the summer. It's there that he meets Em (Stewart), a too cool for school fellow employee (an attitude that actually suits her screen personality for once) and spends his time hanging out with pals while pondering what to do with his life now. This is a movie that kind of wants to be like an 80's Dazed and Confused (and it isn't on that level), but Jesse Eisenberg is completely charming as the goofy and aimless but decent James, and he and Stewart share a sweet and actually moving coming of age romance. This was a nice little gem that more people should discover.
Trailer:
