Review of The Kings of Summer (2013) by Andrew L — 26 Sep 2013

The Kings of Summer is a movie that takes a lot of inspiration from Wes Anderson films. It may seem like director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is trying to copy Wes Anderson's style but after the first 5 minutes of the film, he finds his own voice, and it is a very good one. The story is about a teenager who doesn't like his life, and is tired of seeing his dad being miserable. He gets this crazy idea to build a house in the middle of nowhere and brings his best friend, and an odd acquaintance to live their own lives.

The movie is full of dark humor and that makes this movie very interesting. The style of humor is used with many one-liner jokes and situations like trying to hunt. While the movie does lack a bit of creativity in the dialogue department, the overall message of the film is what makes this one a really good movie. By the end of The Kings of Summer, the movie ends up being a more heartfelt movie like The Way, Way Back and that further distances the movie from being a "Wes Anderson knock off.".

The acting was very well done by the whole cast. While no one exactly stood out, each actor seemed to have good chemistry, which is crucial for a coming-of-age story such as this. Definitely worth the rent.