"The Kings of Summer" (2013)

The Kings of Summer is one of those light coming of age stories that keeps getting made in recent years, particularly on the indie scene. I say light because it too often glosses over the real pains of the time, place and age that it deals with. Like The Way, Way Back, there's a charm and wit about The Kings of Summer that makes it entertaining and fleet -- although it drags in the last third. Also like Way Back, it has a lot of good performers elevating material that is a bit too familiar and, at times, simple. Nick Offerman as one of the fathers gives nuance to the part by just the ways he delivers his lines in unexpected and bitingly funny ways. All the young performers are charismatic if not especially memorable; Moises Arias as the kooky member of the trio of boys Biaggio gives a quirky and committed performance that stands out, and it's a nice meeting of writing and acting that really works well. The other two boys Joe and Patrick (Nick Robinson and Gabriel Basso) are resentful of their parents and longing to get out from under their thumb. In the course of events they inevitably learn to grudgingly respect and even love their parents. They go out deep in the woods, build a make shift home, and suddenly believe themselves to finally be "real men" (adults!). The cinematography is at points rather lovely; there's a beautiful naturalistic feel that highlights the forested locales and contrasts the drab suburban settings the guys are escaping from with the their new nature-hideaway. One unfortunate story point involves a girl that Joe pines for; she dates a douchey guy for a brief stint and Joe then thinks he has a chance with her. He invites her to the forest retreat where she falls for Patrick thus leading to the inevitable falling out between the two friends. The Kings of Summer never rises above its cliches or its simplicity; there's something more painful and bitter under the surface but it always seems to avoid it whenever it comes too close.

Grade: B-