Review of The Kings of Summer (2013) by Rhynal R — 29 Dec 2013

Kings of summer manages to deliver a touching story despite the use of cliche scenarios and a predictable plot. The plot seems ridiculous at first; 3 boys who are unhappy with their parents decide to build a house in the woods where they can stay in order to escape. Just like teenagers, the plot never really is considered to be thinking too far ahead as there are flaws but as a device to push the story forward, its passable. Some time is spent developing the characters and giving enough back story in order to understand what 2 out of the 3 boys were going through, so that when these issues are tackled with the help of the plot device, it can work, which it does, for the most part. The 3rd boy, however, just seems out of place. He has his funny moments but it just felt like he was put there to be the classic 'weird creepy person who has no friends' character. He's never really developed and a lot of his scenes feel forced.

The performances of the cast are great, but surprisingly the lead character doesn't captivate you, it's his best friend, Patrick. Managing a range of emotions from anger to concern and worry for his friends, the actor has come a long way from the like of 'The Big C'. So much time is spent though on the 3 main characters, that others fall on the wayside; the prime example being the love interest. I suppose though that it was never really intended to be used as a huge part of the story but in the latter third of the movie, that's what it becomes about so I find it hard to believe that 2 best friends of over 10 years are fighting over a girl who they've known for less than a month. Seemed a bit ridiculous to me, but then again, maybe that's another layer of realism as that's how a lot of guys can be. It's nice though to see the changes that the boys, well two of them, go through and how they grow, even if it's in a short space of time. There are also some tender scenes between the two best friends which depicted the bromance very well but again, it just felt like one step forward and two steps back for the audience to believe in it if they fell out over a girl they just met.

Mention has to be made to the cinematography. Those shots of the sun seeping through Joe's fingers which to me represented the freedom he was feeling now that he was free of his parents resounded with me and left a lasting impression. Others like the different shots of the forest and the rivers just showcased the beautiful locale they were at; it all highlighted how they viewed the place; as a paradise away from 'home' and that the beauty was representative of how much they adored it. By the end of the movie though, I felt a bit disappointed because even though all stories were resolved, it just seemed a bit too 'Disney' for me. The contrast of the parents at the start to at the end was too huge to be realistic to me. It was sweet, but maybe they could have given more post change time in order to really sell the audience on just exactly how their children being away from them has not only affected them but caused them to change.

Overall, it was a good movie with a few chuckles and some serious emotions and issues. And I agree with the tag line for the movie; Why live when you can rule? 6/10.