Rewatchables Reference

• The 'Lisa P walks in slow motion' scene at the park.
• The scene where James and Em first connect on the bench.
• Bill picks the final scene where James finds Em in New York.

• Kristen Stewart's performance - Bill says she's 'never been better' and this was a sign of her range.
• The 1987 setting and period-accurate soundtrack.
• The portrayal of that specific post-college aimlessness.

• 'Don't Dream It's Over' by Crowded House - the recurring theme throughout the movie.
• 'Bastards of Young' by 'The Replacements'.
• 'Satellite of Love' by Lou Reed during the driving scenes.
• Bill and Juliet discuss how the repeated use of 'Rock Me Amadeus' is a perfect running gag.

• The fireworks scene with James and Em - captures the magic of a perfect summer night.
• The slow-motion Lisa P entrance shots.

• The Ryan Reynolds character's subplot feels slightly underwritten.
• Some of the broader comedy bits with Hader and Wiig don't always mesh with the quieter romantic scenes.

• The marketing - sold as a raunchy 'Superbad'-style comedy when it's really a sensitive romance.
• Ryan Reynolds' character hooking up with a much younger employee would play differently today.

• Bill: This is a top-5 'summer job movie' of all time.
• Juliet: Kristen Stewart should have been a bigger romantic comedy star.

• Michael Cera was the obvious choice for the lead but Eisenberg brought more edge.
• What if they'd cast a bigger name as Connell instead of Reynolds.

• Bill Hader's pipe-hitting scenes as the park manager.
• The 'Games Games Games' guy who gets punched.

• Martin Starr as Joel - the perfect deadpan best friend.
• Matt Bush as the eager new guy at the park.

• Modern version: Timothee Chalamet as James.
• Juliet suggests Zendaya as Em.

• Greg Mottola based the script on his own experiences working at an amusement park on Long Island in the 1980s.
• Filmed at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, a real amusement park.
• Budget was $9.8 million, made $17.2 million domestically.

• Jesse Eisenberg - though Bill argues 'The Social Network' surpassed it.
• Martin Starr as the quintessential deadpan sidekick.
• Greg Mottola as a director - his most personal film.

• Would James really not know about Connell and Em?
• The timeline of the summer feels compressed.

An anthology series where each season is a different summer at a different amusement park in a different decade.

• Better with a drink on a summer evening.
• Better with someone you had a summer romance with.

Kristen Stewart for Best Supporting Actress - Bill says she deserved a nomination.

• 'Dazed and Confused' - another hangout movie about a specific time period.
• 'The Way We Were' - for the bittersweet romance angle.

• A 'Games Games Games' t-shirt.
• The 'Adventureland' park uniform polo.

• Your worst summer job might end up being the best time of your life.
• The person you think is the cool older guy is usually the biggest mess.

• Kristen Stewart won the movie.
• Both agree Stewart won the movie - she brings depth and authenticity that elevates every scene she's in.
• Juliet argues she makes the movie work because you have to believe James would fall for Em over Lisa P.

• Juliet gives it a strong recommendation - 'one of the most underrated movies of the 2000s'.
• Bill says it's in his regular summer rewatch rotation.

• Would James and Em actually make it as a couple in New York?
• Did Connell ever face consequences for his behavior?
• What happened to Joel?