Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Rating: ★★★★ out of 4 stars
This post does not contain spoilers
Joe's (Nick Robinson) summer looks like it will be the same as always. Homework assignments are long overdue, his crush on Kelly is ruined by her boyfriend Paul, and Joe's father rules his house with iron-clad sarcasm (Nick Offerman). Same goes for his best friend Patrick (Gabriel Basso). With a fractured ankle he has no hopes for escaping the G-rated environment of his nitpicking parents.
But this summer is going to be different. With oddball friend Biaggio, the trio build a lifesize shabby birdhouse fit for three teens ready to rule - bang on some drums, play Monopoly, tell war stories, and live off the land. Cheers to freedom and being your own man.
Yet even in their anti-parents environment, the road traveled to becoming an adult comes with conflict. Instead of killing possums there's a Boston Market not far out of reach, snakes slither through their backyard, and old flames rise again.
Teenagers are teenagers but this line can overwhelmingly blurred in indie flicks. Characters can fall into the wayside of "wit" - which today is often richly overdone with sarcasm (thanks Juno!). Style often pulls together a collection of hipster chic montages thinly veiled on a young adult love story (thanks 500 Days of Summer!). The Kings of Summer has those aspects, but doesn't rest on conventional laurels. The characters are misunderstood, but the script doesn't enhance clever ploys to make their world come together.
After they run out of canned food and money, Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio don't know exactly what they want from their humble abode. Their home away from home starts as a place to be wherever their parents aren't. As friendships twist and turn, they learn growing up is about trial and error; learning to resolve conflicts within yourself and with others - even the parents you dread the most. They can always be bears fighting for their right to rule...but if they don't believe in anything, thrones can crumble.
On paper, The Kings of Summer could be like any other adventure indie. The performances by Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and Moises Arias, and the script creates a refreshing stand-out. Billed as a Stand By Me film, I'm happy to say that the comparison is worth it. The Kings of Summer is a trifecta of family drama, comedy, and teen angst. I need this movie now & forever.
In A Giffy:
