I was looking for a movie to watch with my wife. I’d spent about an hour flipping through my digital options, looking at my physical collection, and looking at lists of the must see films. In the end, I picked The Kings of Summer because I’m a sucker for rites of passage stories, Nick Offerman, and Alison Brie. It’s available on Amazon Prime to stream and it’s a fun story of growing up and communicating. I give The Kings of Summer the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.
The Kings of Summer is a funny take on the rites of passage
Joe (Nick Robinson) and Patrick (Gabriel Basso) are best friends who are tired of living with their parents. Joined by Biaggio (Moises Arias), their odd but loyal friend, the three venture into the woods to build a house as the ultimate escape from their lives. They move in running away from their troubling parents and live off the land at the beginning of summer vacation.
The Kings of Summer is written by Chris Galletta and directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who is directing the upcoming Kong: Skull Island. The film brings some great comedic actors in with Joe’s dad, Frank (Offerman), and sister, Heather (Brie). Patrick’s parents are played by Mark Evan Jackson and Megan Mullally. Some of the smaller, but funny, roles include Hannibal Buress, Craig Cackowski, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Thomas Middleditch, Tony Hale, and Kumail Nanjiani. Needless to say, this film made me laugh several times, but Offerman’s brand of aggressive sarcasm cracked me up the most.
I was really impressed with Nick Robinson who I’d only seen in Jurassic World prior to this. He has a great on-screen presence and his delivery of dialogue was perfect. Joe has a crush on Kelly (Erin Moriarty), but he is clearly in the friendzone. It’s her invitation to a party that triggers a stirring conflict with Joe and his dad. A Monopoly game ending in the way they always seem to, with fighting and yelling, Joe finally realizes he needs to get away from his dad. It’s the catalyst to the film and is definitely relatable to many.
The kids have nosey parents
Patrick’s parents are just way too odd and invasive. Joe’s dad doesn’t know how to handle him since his wife passed away. It’s a story that most teenagers, or former teenagers, can relate with. They think they’re ready to be on their own when they head into the woods. It’s when the movie jumps into the fun and games, but things eventually take a turn for the worst. Even then, the film is well acted and the story well told.
I don’t think this is a must see film, but it’s definitely a good one. There’s no question that I enjoyed the film very much, and was primarily satisfied with the end. I often find stories about growing up and the struggles of the process entertaining. This film was no different, and if you’re a fan of the cast I definitely recommend it.
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