“The Kings of Summer” (2013)
Charming debut from Jordan Vogt-Roberts.
After being seduced into seeing Kong: Skull Island in the Spring of 2017, naturally I eagerly sought out a copy of the director’s debut film four years earlier, and was thoroughly pleased that I did. I’m re-releasing a number of my older film review articles as a means of escapism as well as a selfish determination to demonstrate my personal authenticity.
I therefore present to you, The Kings of Summer.
(and Kong: Skull Island too if you wish in the article immediately below!)
“It’s a classic kidnapping. They took our children and our canned goods and pasta”.
Jordan Vogt-Roberts directorial debut is a beautifully enchanting ode to the joys of childhood escapism, the bonds of friendship and a summertime of sunshine freedom surrounded by nature. This deeply affecting coming of age tale is also a debut screenplay from writer Chris Galletta and his writing paints far more than a simple teenage drama of adolescence and the frustration of overbearing, controlling and out of touch parents smothering their offspring. This is the simplistic through line of the film, however Galletta’s writing is also caustically and sardonically funny as well as charming as he creates many uniquely different characters all coming to terms with their lives in middle America. Supplemented by a brilliantly eclectic mix in the film’s musical soundtrack, from “Cowboy Song” by Thin Lizzy over the film’s opening titles, “The Youth” by MGMT as the boys finally throw off the shackles of their parents and a number of songs from The Skywalkers, together with Ross Riege’s (at times) Terence Malick inspired cinematography, and you have a film that may charm you and please you, raise many smiles and laughs before staying with you long after the final reels of the film.
Saturated in wonderful and joyous slow motion shots of the characters and surrounded by the cinematography capturing the slow moving nature of the woods in which the teenagers build a ramshackle escape from their parents, we find best friends “Joe” (Nick Robinson) and “Patrick” (Gabriel Basso) who along with “Biaggio” (Moises Arias) resolve to become “men” away from their parents, their lives, their troubles and their adolescence. The school age teenagers all have varying reasons for their existence in the woods and by their own written charter, resolve to keep their secluded hideaway a secret. Whilst Biaggio’s reasons for running away remain distinctly unclear, Joe’s and Patrick’s are more easily and clearly defined with Patrick escaping from his goofy and out of touch parents as they talk in distant and patronising soundbites as evidenced by “These hormones are a’raging”. However it’s Joe who has most to gain from life in the woods as he drives the original idea and coerces his best friend to accompany him as he needs release from his overbearing Father.
“Joe” (Nick Robinson) Struggling to come to terms with the death of his Mother and now home alone with just his strict and controlling Father, this is a brilliant, often melancholic portrayal of teenage angst amid a determination to be heard above the white noise of life. And to be loved.
“Patrick” (Gabriel Basso) Encouraged by his best friend he is reluctant at first, before rising to the task at hand and relishing their self made hideaway in the woods.
“Biaggio” (Moises Arias) A modern day “renaissance man” who with his quirky, off kilter performance also delivers the funniest and most awkward lines of the film. Biaggio is the film’s hero and this narrator wishes he had just a little of his craziness! A brilliant performance from Arias.
The main supporting roles fall to Megan Mullally and Marc Evan Jackson as Patrick’s strange yet innocently so parents, Alison Brie as Joe’s sister “Heather” and Erin Moriarty excels as the girl stealing Joe’s teenage heart “Kelly”. Minor cameo roles are noteworthy as they see many of the film’s most acerbically funny lines with Kumail Nanjiani on the receiving end as simply “Delivery Guy”, comedian Hannibal Buress pops up as “Bus Driver” however it falls to Thomas Middleditch as “Rookie Cop” to supply many of the film’s laugh out loud moments as he’s torn to shreds by Joe’s exasperated Father “Frank”. Latterly excelling in The Founder and particularly, the TV adaptation of The Coen Brothers classic, Fargo, Nick Offerman is outstanding as the frustrated, over bearing and still grieving Frank. Despite his darker character traits, Offerman is superbly comedic with his dry, sardonic delivery “He took the monopoly too, to spite me obviously” as well as his subtle eye rolls and sideways glances of exasperation at his errant son Joe.
The game of monopoly plays a larger role in the film than would be immediately apparent, for with one glance at the “Go to Jail” square Joe sums up his current angst and the predominant theme of the film. Joe needs to escape, escape from the jail his Father Frank has metaphorically smothered him in, escape from his memories of his Mother and equally an escape from himself as he grows into a man in the company of his two friends in their secluded wooded hideaway.
The Kings of Summer is a true triumph of a film and a phenomenally accomplished achievement from first time director Jordan Vogt-Roberts.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 200 blog articles (with 400+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
