The Kings of Summer (FILM REVIEW)
The Kings of Summer
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Runaway Teens Build Shack in the Woods in Quirky, Coming-of-Age Comedy
Freshman year of high school has
just ended for Patrick (Gabriel Basso) who isn’t looking forward to spending the
summer under the same roof as his helicopter parents (Megan Mullally and Marc
Evan Jackson), given their monitoring his every move and their merciless teasing
about his raging hormones. The situation’s even worse for Joe (Nick Robinson)
whose widowed father’s (Nick Offerman) way of grieving involves belittling and
grounding him at the drop of a hat.
One night at a keg party, the best
friends come up with a viable solution to their predicament when they discover
a clearing in the middle of the forest. Why not build themselves a house out in
the woods where they will finally be free from the abuse and control of meddling
adults?
Swearing each other to secrecy, the malcontents
hatch an impromptu plan to live off the land. And they are joined in the
clandestine endeavor by classmate Biaggio (Moises Arias), a mysterious weirdo
wiling to tag along and utter an occasional, odd non sequitur.
Next thing you know, they’re building
a shack out of materials found on a construction lot, and also foraging for
food by diving into a dumpster behind a restaurant. Meanwhile, their worried
folks are calling the cops, convinced the missing boys must have been
kidnapped.
That is the absorbing point of
departure of The Kings of Summer, a quirky, coming-of-age comedy marking the magnificent
directorial debut of Jordan Vogt-Roberts. His laugh-a-minute adventure is reminiscent
of some the best of the rebellious adolescent genre, ala Stand by Me (1986), Superbad
(2007), Ghost World (2001), Super 8 (2011) and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).
The picture’s clever script by
first-timer Chris Galletta is laced with lots of hilarious scenes like when Biaggio
attempts to throw the police off their trail with a ransom note from the
fictitious “Jamal Colorado” inspired by a combining a black first name with one
of the fifty states. But human oddity Biaggio is basically around to provide
intermittent comic relief.
At heart, the movie is about the
intrepid trio’s struggle to survive while eluding the frantic search party. The
plot thickens upon the sudden arrival of Kelly (Erin Moriarty) at the lad’s
lair, a cutie pie Joe’s interested in dating.
Will the fetching femme fatale prove
to be the boys’ undoing? Or will their bond remain intact? No spoilers here.
Suffice to say that between a host of memorable performances by a cast of
relative newcomers, and a haunting, grungy score by Ryan Miller, The Kings of
Summer is a bona fide sleeper not to be missed.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R
for profanity and underage alcohol consumption
In English and Italian with subtitles
Running time: 95 minutes
Distributor: CBS
Films
To see a trailer for The Kings of Summer, visit:
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