Mottola directed Adventureland (2009), a "first love" story about a group of college-age kids working at an amusement park in the 1980s. The film starred Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and received critical praise.
As of 2011, Mottola is writing a screenplay based on Leanne Shapton's Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry, to be produced by Natalie Portman and Plan B Entertainment.
