[REVIEW] – The Kings of Summer

Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Starring: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman
Certificate: 15
Run-time: 95 minutes

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IN SHORT: Kings of Summer is a delightfully goofy coming of age drama with noteworthy performances from its young cast.

If you threw Into the Wild, Stand By Me and the awkward humour of Napoleon Dynamite all into a blender, you’d come out with a mixture almost resembling Kings of Summer. This charming little indie drama was on the Hollywood ‘Black List’ (a list of the best unproduced movie scripts) until it was picked up by first-time director Vogt-Roberts and Big Beach Films, a production company who’ve carved themselves a reputation for off-beat dramedies with earlier projects like Little Miss Sunshine and Safety Not Guaranteed.

The story revolves around teenage best friends Joe and Patrick (and a tag-along weirdo named Biaggio), who have the rather ambitious idea of running away and building a self-sufficient house in the forests on the outskirts of town. The goal is twofold; get away from their parents and ‘become men’. Naturally, this plan seems flawless at first but as the weeks go by, the boys slowly realise that they’re not cut out for this organic way of living. Plus the whole town are looking for them and it’s only a matter of time before somebody discovers their idyllic retreat.

Biaggio (middle) is the most loveable oddball of 2013.

Kings of Summer has a particular sort of ‘off-beat’ humour that won’t connect with everybody. Biaggio, an androgynous and most probably schizophrenic friend of Joe and Patrick’s is a constant source of entertainment as he pops up with weird observations and inappropriate one-liners. The young cast all deliver superb performances but Moises Arias (Biaggio) is the star of the show. They’re supported by a strong cast of experienced sitcom actors such as Nick Offerman (Parks and Rec), Allison Brie (Community) and Megan Mullally (who I haven’t seen in years!)

Kings of Summer‘s gorgeous cinematography is its trump card, however. As a director, Vogt-Roberts has a photographer’s eye and he makes sure that his wonderful locations are milked for every inch of their visual beauty. Tall, sun-kissed grass, canopied woods and quaint, untouched lakes – every location is shot with clarity and precision, almost as if it were a character in its own right. And Vogt-Roberts’ utilisation of a soft focus filter on certain scenes helps add an air of nostalgia and romanticism to the film that reminded me of last year’s Moonrise Kingdom.

Nick Offerman is perfect as Joe’s negligent, blunt father.

The movie loses a little of its individualism towards the end as plot-points become a little too familiar and I also found the adult character’s one-dimensionally written, although this could just be a case of an unreliable narrator as the film is from the kid’s POV. Cast these negatives aside and you’ve got an easy-to-digest dramedy that will appeal to the young at heart and the nostalgic. And with the vicious winter months on our door-step, a little summer spirit is exactly what I need!