"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail."
Okay, so that quote isn't actually from the movie. The quotes section for The Kings of Summer on IMDb was empty, so I had to find a cool, alternative and hipster-worthy one that would fit the tone of the film somewhere else, and I ultimately found the one you just read on one of my Facebook "friend's" cover picture. That being said, the movie isn't all that corny and pretentious, but I would be down right lying if I said that it doesn't have its fair share of leaves that are rustling in the winds, people who are picking flowers in a field whilst the sun sets in the background, and alternative music being sung by a 21-year-old pothead whose hair is a little too long, that sounds like it was recorded with a lava lamp that is hooked up to a toaster with a few inches of dental floss.
Phew! I'm sorry about that little rant on hipsterism and pretentiousness, but I had it get it out of the way before we begin this review properly. The Kings of Summer is a movie that I knew virtually nothing about, until I heard my favorite radio hosts discuss it on the BBC 5 Live movie podcast. I decided to watch it because of how well it was being reviewed on the show, and having just seen it, I'm glad to say that I enjoyed it very much indeed. It's a lighthearted and easily digestible movie, so writing a quick review of it before I pass out from exhaustion (a week of visiting pubs and learning about Irish history in Dublin will do that to you), seems like a good way of getting back into the habit of blogging again.
The Kings of Summer is directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by Chris Galletta, who are two people whom I know absolutely nothing about. It stars Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias in the three leading roles, and the movie is about these three 15-year-old boys, their friendship, and their individual family problems. The film takes place over the cause of one summer, where the guys decide to run away from home and build a house in the forest, and live there like "real men". It's a good old coming of age movie in every sense of the word; a genre of which I've never been a great fan. This is mainly due to the fact that I always feel very aware of the fact that the people who create these movies are grown up human beings with obligations, budgets and beards, which ultimately makes the children or young people in the movies feel hollow, unreal and stupid. The Kings of Summer wasn't like that at all though, and for once, I was able to relate to and understand the mindset of these young guys. If you're able to live with the slow motion, the branches, the leaves, the violin playing and a few of the other somewhat pretentious and hisperish elements, I'm sure you'll be able to relate to this movie so as well.
As weird as it may sound, the cinematography in this movie is one of the main reasons why I enjoyed The Kings of Summer's coming of age element as much as I did. The movie feels very independent and low budgety, which is greatly reflected in the way it's shot and edited, and it honestly felt as if it was done by a bunch of very young, ambitious and talented film students because of it. This is a very positive thing in my opinion, and it gave the movie a whole lot of charm, warmth and honesty that it wouldn't have had, had it been made by more established and experienced filmmakers. Its genuine and poetic story about youth in revolt makes The Kings of Summer one of the most relatable movies I've seen in a while as well, and even though it wasn't revolutionizing or innovative by any stretch of the imagination, its story arch and plot points did exactly what they were meant to do, nothing more, nothing less. The creators knew that kind of story they were dealing with, and they didn't try to turn it into something it wasn't.
Half of the characters and the actors who played them did a great job in this movie in my opinion, but sadly, there also were a few who didn't do very well at all. Nick Robinson who plays the main character, Joe, probably delivers the best pure acting performance in the movie, and I enjoyed the way he carried himself on screen and added a lot of fitting facial expressions to strengthen his dialogue. His father however, who's played by Nick Offerman, was incredibly unreal and monotone to look at from beginning to finish. He talked in a bland and irritating manner that kept pulling me out of the illusion that the scene I was watching actually took place, and the fact that his character is meant to be the whole reason behind why Joe is doing what he does, kind of took away from the trust I had in both characters. Other than that there's a dorky police officer who never would have made it into the force in the real world, an even dorkier boyfriend of Joe's sister's and an infathomably cliched high school bully who annoyed me as well, but these characters luckily aren't nearly as dominant as Joe's father is.
On the contrary though, Moises Arias, who's best known for his role as the incredibly obnoxious little kid from my Sister's favorite TV-series Hannah Montana, is the funniest thing about the whole movie, and I was laughing out loud at just about every single line he delivered. There's something about the dry and ironic humor that surrounds his character that completely hit home with me, and when combined with some of the other stuff from the movie, The Kings of Summer has a surprisingly high amount of genuinely hilarious moments in it. The best thing about these comedic moments is that they aren't cheap dick jokes like Seth Rogen's or plot ruining shoehorners like Adam Sandler's, but quirky and well written little lines of dialogue that you genuinely don't see coming, unless of cause you've also met a dog that has taught you how to die.
*Awkward silence*
In the end, The Kings of Summer is a sweet little gem of a movie that I'd definitely recommend just about anyone who likes good movies to go ahead and see. It's a lightweight coming of age story that has a lot in common with movies like Son of Rambow and Into the Wild, but it particularly shares a lot of ideas, themes and plot points with movies such as Stand by Me and Mud. There are a few minor characters who could have been acted a whole lot better though, but it isn't that big a problem when compared to the great performances delivered by the three main actors. The Kings of Summer is sweet, genuine, funny, relatable, quirky and very self aware, and thus worthy of my seal of approval. (4/6)
The Kings of Summer IMDb page here
The Kings of Summer trailer link here
No comments:
Post a Comment