Review of The Kings of Summer (2013) by Spencer S — 08 Oct 2013
This comedy has all the things I truly love in an indie film: a story that concerns coming of age, a weird supporting character who says creepy things, bracing cinematography, and great comedic actors in the cast.
I got all of that and more when watching "The Kings of Summer" a story that seems atypical, but has the many characteristics of past great teenage dramas. The best description I've read for this film is "'Stand by Me' meets 'Superbad'" even though I think it's less raunchy than the latter, and less bleak than the former.
It's simply about personal freedom during puberty, when everything is set out for you, and how you can be yourself while wandering, not knowing where you're going. Three teenagers named Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio decide to leave their home lives behind and build a house in the forest.
They run away, eat canned food and Boston Market, catch rain through their tin roof, hang out with friends, and run through the trees without a care. The implications behind whether they can live out there and their own skewed views of their parents aren't addressed at first, but the film slowly builds.
In the end, we're not sure what Joe learns from the experience, but his father certainly learns about himself, and that lies in contrast to Patrick who must realize that having caring parents isn't a bad thing.
Biaggio remains the wild card in the story, because he's written to be odd. That's his only purpose, and we learn exactly zero about him, except that he's braver than most people, and he likes a girl.
That was upsetting, because Biaggio's strange humor was the only thing I really didn't readily enjoy about the film. Otherwise I found the supporting cast to be hilarious, the cinematography was breathtaking, and the setting invoked teenaged rebellion and the flights of fancy that come from summer.
It's a throwaway film about the joys of being young, and though overdone in context, this film had some new and interesting things to say about it.
This review of The Kings of Summer (2013) was written by Spencer S on 08 Oct 2013.
The Kings of Summer has generally received positive reviews.
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