Review of The Kings of Summer (2013) by Colin M — 27 Sep 2013

There is perhaps a scarcely more crowded genre than the coming-of-age genre, a fact that especially holds true for indie coming-of-age genres, even those with a quirky sensibility. Some feel redundant, some feel fresh (Perks of Being a Wallpaper), and some surprise. The Kings of Summer is one of those films that surprise. It's off-beat humor is underscored by strong performances, and a message the ultimately works.

The film finds two best friends, disenchanted with their hilarious home lives, finding a seeming oasis of isolation in the woods, setting out to build a house there. This disappearance sparks a rather lackluster search effort for them, while the boys enjoy misadventures with the bizarrely unsettlingly Moises Arias, while also finding themselves at odds with a girl, played by Alison Brie. While the basic elements are nothing original, the film has an original execution to it. This is most true of the humor, which, by far, sets the film apart. It's quirky, to be sure, and a bit stylized, yet it manages to dryly capture the frustrations of many adolescents, and does so in a hilarious fashion.

The performances, headlined unquestionably by Nick Robinson, are all laudable, with some of the best chemistry between child actors as I have seen. All play off the humor to great effect, and inhibit their roles to such a great extent as to make the dynamics at play feel well realized and, most importantly, authentic.

In the end, the message of Kings of Summer isn't distinguished, but the overall execution is. It's enjoyable, funny, and quirky enough to give it a serious memorable factor.

4/5 Stars.