Review of The Kings of Summer (2013) by Heatherm — 15 May 2015

I absolutely loved this movie. There were several times where I nearly stopped to pause it because I was laughing so hard. The awkwardness of all the interactions with the parents are just so perfect, and it brings back all kinds of memories. I also found it easy to sympathize with both the parents and the teenagers, which makes for a more interesting viewing experience because you can see the enormous divide between them. Nick Offerman's character in particular was intriguing--he had the typical Nick Offerman crankiness, but it seemed toned down to the point that it was believable, and in his moments of doubt he became a fully humanized character.

The let's-run-away-to-the-woods premise is charming, and I was surprised by how believably it was played out; their house in the woods was certainly impressive, and it strains disbelief a little that they got so many materials, but I liked that it was a ramshackle place to live. The interludes of the boys drumming on a pipe, as well as the quick shots of nature scenes, served to pause the film in interesting ways by giving you a moment to think and reflect on their life together.

The boys were well-developed characters, and even the "weird kid" was fleshed out enough that he felt like a real person rather than a schtick. The use of the blonde girl as a plot device rather than a person was a bit frustrating, as it felt like a bit of a cheap way to advance the plot without making her a real character; I'm sad to say this movie fails the Bechdel test pretty hard, as none of the female characters talk to each other. Still, the flaw almost seems forgiveable in a movie that's the coming-of-age story of three boys.

All in all, this was a delightful movie--hilarious, relatable, and with moments of tension and heartbreak sprinkled throughout. I'll certainly give this movie a second watching sometime, and I expect my movie partner and I will be quoting lines from it to one another and bursting into laughter for some time to come.