The Kings of Summer (2013)
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 104
Fresh: 80 | Rotten: 24
Thanks to charming performances and endearingly off-kilter spirit, The Kings of Summer proves to be a slight, sweet entry in the crowded coming-of-age genre.
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 11
Thanks to charming performances and endearingly off-kilter spirit, The Kings of Summer proves to be a slight, sweet entry in the crowded coming-of-age genre.
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Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 10,923
Movie Info
Premiering to rave reviews at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, THE KINGS OF SUMMER is a unique coming-of-age comedy about three teenage friends - Joe (Nick Robinson), Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and the eccentric and unpredictable Biaggio (Moises Arias) - who, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land. Free from their parents' rules, their idyllic summer quickly becomes a test of friendship as each boy learns to appreciate
Cast
-
Nick Robinson
Joe -
Gabriel Basso
Patrick -
Moises Arias
Biaggio -
Nick Offerman
Frank -
Alison Brie
Heather -
Megan Mullally
Mrs. Keenan -
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Captain Davis -
Erin Moriarty
Kelly -
Craig Cackowski
Mr. Larson -
William Sonnie
Track Suit -
Nathan Keyes
Paul -
Cristoffer Carter
Construction Kid -
Priscilla Kaczuk
Grandma Keenan -
Marc Evan Jackson
Mr. Keenan -
Eugene Cordero
Colin -
Thomas Middleditch
Rookie Cop -
Lili Reinhart
Vicki -
Austin Abrams
Aaron -
Paul Floriano
Italian Man -
Brian Sacca
No Sideburns -
Peter Karinen
No Sideburns' Friend -
Tony Hale
Bus Passenger -
Hannibal Buress
Bus Driver -
Kumail Nanjiani
Delivery Guy -
Jeffrey Grover
Detective -
Eric Wasserman
Second Detective -
Nicholas Rutherford
Visor -
Angela Trimbur
Face Paint -
Jennifer Lindgren
News Reporter -
Michael Cipiti
Biaggio's Dad -
Gillian Vigman
Carol
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All Critics (104) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (80) | Rotten (24)
Coming on like Stand by Me meets Son of Rambow, the boys' adventure is essentially dreamy indie-teen wish-fulfilment.
A warm and affectionate comedy about that last great summer when you're 13 or 14 and you don't realize just how much your life is about to change and things will never be the same.
There is much here to admire, but the overall impression is of a film that does not have the courage of its convictions.
Once they go into the woods, the movie becomes as interesting as watching kids hang around and play with sticks.
In its small, independent way, "The Kings of Summer" rules.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writer Chris Galletta bring a fresh and sympathetic eye to the story, evoking the pleasure of what feels - for a little while - like endless possibilities.
Rich in suburban subtext, The Kings Of Summer is a coming-of-age indie movie full of poignancy, charm and strong performances.
Thanks in no small part to its trio of hugely likeable teenage leads, the film breezes along, mixing comedy with drama to often seamless effect, while exploring the kind of issues that viewers can all find relatable.
Quirky, funny, occasionally too whimsical and at times implausible, it's rather like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meeting the cast of Rebel Without a Cause.
This is the kind of American independent comedy-drama that restores our faith in the cinema, combining a talented cast, witty direction and a razor-sharp script to reboot the coming-of-age genre.
The Kings of Summer can't quite decide between dysfunctional family drama, the aesthetics of floaty Americana, Goonies-brand adventurism and outbursts of rip-roaring comedy.
The reasons for raves at the Sundance Film Festival? The film's charm, freshness, wit and skewiness of vision.
Like a summer fling, forgotten as soon as you re-enter the real world.
It lollops along to its own lazy drumbeat, perfectly evoking that too-brief time of life when you could pass the evenings drunk on stolen beer and all the spare time you could dream of.
A sunny and reasonably funny coming-of-ager from Sundance-ratified debutant Jordan Vogt-Roberts.
The spirit of Stand By Me lives on in The Kings of Summer, a poignant and frequently hilarious coming-of-age film about three teenage friends yearning for freedom and independence.
First love, a friend's powerless deception and a perfectly timeless score, credited to Ryan Miller, keep things moving along in a feel-good kind of way.
The first two-thirds of the movie felt rather special, while the last third less so. Still, it has its charms, the kids are appealing and it's worth catching.
The kids are superb - the ups and downs of the Joe/Patrick friendship ring true, while oddball Moises Arias steals scenes left, right and off-centre.
A hugely enjoyable, acutely observed and frequently hilarious coming-of-age drama with a delightful script, likeable characters and terrific performances from a note-perfect cast.
A supremely entertaining adventure that might threaten to fall over a couple of times but always regains its balance.
It's impeccably stylized, but that only makes it seem more like hand-me-down Wes Anderson, a vaporous amassment of quirk.
Deserves recognition for its light, often hilarious depiction of summertime boyhood and the impatience to become an adult.
Coming-of-age tales are generally a dime a dozen, but here's one pretty much guaranteed to make viewers feel like a million bucks.
There will be movies with bigger casts, louder explosions and more zombies -- but few will boast the sheer spirit of The Kings of Summer.
Audience Reviews for The Kings of Summer
Super Reviewer
Joe (Nick Robinson) has just finished his freshman year in high school. He has a long summer ahead butting heads with his no-nonsense father (Nick Offerman). Then Joe gets the brilliant idea. He and his pal Patrick (Gabriel Basso), who is also sick of his annoying parents, will build their own home in the woods, a sanctuary where they can set the rules. Joe and Patrick pack up their belongings, find a quiet spot in the woods, and build that dream home. Biaggio (Moises Arias), a weird and gangly kid, takes an interest in the youthful declaration of independence and joins in. The guys invite girls over, explore the wilderness, grow patchy wisps of facial hair, and live out their fantasies of roughing it like real men. Of course it helps when a Boston Market is just down the road.
From start to finish, The Kings of Summer kept me laughing. I did not expect the comedy to be as consistent and thorough as it was, but writer Chris Galletta has a sure handed way of making the comedy derive from the situations and characters. Even with some outsized elements, notably Biaggio and the fact that the boys home-away-from-home is way too advanced for a kid who blundered through shop class, the humor never feels forced. That is an accomplishment, though the script also overly relies on Biaggio to say outlandish or weird lines. I especially enjoyed his one-scene pep talk with his father late in the movie. That confidant sense of humor goes a long way to relax an audience, allowing us to attune to the mellow waves of the film. It's fun to watch the guys try to forage a life out in the woods, slowly learning how hard this whole survivalist lifestyle may actually be. The adults are viewed as blithe buffoons or hardasses, though they don't come across as caricatures. Credit the attention paid to Offerman's (TV's Parks and Recreation) character as Joe's father and credit Offerman's uncanny ability to make gruff parenting endearing. This is an easy film to like, to go along with the flow, and to enjoy. It never really falters in entertainment and routinely has another joke at the ready to make you smile. It's a sweet movie that does enough to keep you charmed.
While pleasant, I had to stop and reflect that there was absolutely very little to these characters. The boys all kind of blend together in their youthful romanticism of freedom and rebellion of lame parents, but you'd be hard-pressed to describe them beyond core physical descriptions. The moments that do supply character development are mostly broadly comedic or somewhat generic in their coming-of-age tropes, notably the broken heart administered by a guy's crush. Example: Biaggio is essentially little more than a walking punchline machine. While quite funny and well acted, every line of is dialogue feels like a punchline. He comes from nowhere. At one point, Joe advises Biaggio that a girl may be interested in him, but Biaggio demurs and says that won't work out. All right, here we go. Here's where the movie sheds some light on him. Biaggio admits to being gay. The very next line involves him confusing gay with cystic fibrosis. It's a funny joke but it turns a moment where a character was getting added dimension and just manufactures another punchline. Again, The Kings of Summer is a very pleasant film going experience, and one that made me laugh consistently, but objectively, the impact is too limited because of the lack of proper characterization.
And I suppose this leads into a bigger question of whether this lack of substantial characterization even matters. Coming-of-age movies, like any subgenre in film, have their own expectations and conventions. We all have our different tolerance levels for narrative familiarity, and depending upon the genre, familiarity may be a necessity. Fans of coming-of-age films want to see those familiar elements. They want to see the bonds of friendship, the neglectful parents, the first crushes that lead to first heartaches. It's just like fans of romantic comedies finding comfort in the two leads hating one another until, inevitably, they love each other, or the public sing-alongs. I think many coming-of-age films at some level tend to be somewhat broad or generic to make them more relatable. Perhaps I'm just being too generous to formulaic pictures. If you're a fan of coming-of-age movies then you'll probably be quite forgiving of the shortcomings in The Kings of Summer. Me, I prefer Jeff Nichols' Mud and its more textured, empathetic look at adolescence in a working poor Missouri riverbed community.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (TV's Mash Up, Funny or Die Presents...) makes the film look beautiful. The romanticism of the youth running away to live in nature is improved with some spectacular looking natural settings and compositions. The film was primarily filmed in Cleveland and northern Ohio, and as a native Ohioan, I have to puff my chest. Vogt-Roberts is also skilled at handling his actors and balancing tone; while I criticize the over reliance on comedy at the expense of fleshing out characters, the tone is not divergent. It plays within the same cohesive wavelength throughout. If there is a breakout actor from this movie, it would have to be Arias (TV's Hannah Montana, The Middle). The kid has a tremendous ability to tap into an oddball character, making him quirky rather than insufferable. He also has a unique look to him, and that's got to be a plus for a working actor. Just ask Steve Buscemi.
Genial and undemanding, The Kings of Summer isn't anything close to royalty in the coming-of-age genre but it's consistently funny and enjoyable. The acting is good, the jokes work, and the movie's out after 90 minutes. It's a nice summer diversion but doesn't contain the resonance to be considered more than that. The weak characterization and broad humor, while opening its wide appeal, also makes the film less substantial. It's sweet and funny but little to distinguish it from other sweet and funny coming-of-age entries. If you're a fan of the genre or looking for a mellow and pleasant evening at the movies, think of The Kings of Summer. Just don't think it's going to be anything more.
Nate's Grade: B
Super Reviewer
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- Frank: I see the value in these now. I can have the kids from the neighborhood now and bounce up and down on them at a fucking party.
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- Frank: Got his mother's fanny.
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- Mr. Larson: Yes, I experienced a childhood on the planet Earth. I've heard the story of the boy who cried wolf.
Discussion Forum
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Foreign Titles
- The Kings of Summer (DE)
- The Kings of Summer (UK)