Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013 The
Kings of Summer had a minimal release in the UK the following August.
Now released on DVD it certainly deserves a wider public. Joe's (Nick
Robinson) mother has passed away and father Frank (Nick Offerman) has become
overbearing and authoritarian towards his teenage son. Joe hatches a plan to
run away to the nearby forest and build a house and live off the land. Joining
him on this endeavour is his best friend Patrick (Gabriel Basso) who also
feels suffocated by his parents. A rather eccentric and comedic young lad
Biaggo (Moises Arias) joins this adventure. Free from their parent’s rules
their idyllic summer becomes a test of friendship.
This fusion of late 70's and early 80's independent cinema
brought to mind a combination of Garden
State (2004) and Moonrise
Kingdom (2012). It has a dream like quality and could only really take
place in America; in fact it was shot in and around the village of Chagrin
Falls, Ohio. This is director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and script writer Chris
Galletta first attempt at a feature film and they make a effective job of it,
producing something that far from a silly teen/coming of age drama. Below the
very funny and original script, which is performed superbly by the young cast, there
is an underlying seriousness about the relationships parents have with their
offspring. An entertaining look at middle class America with some
very well drawn character’s, my own personnel favourite being the somewhat
oddball character of Biaggo. Give this
one a try. I’m sure you want be disappointed.
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