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‘Big Boys’ Review — Crushes on boys and bears, oh my!
A review of the coming-of-age film, on VOD now
At first, when awkward teenager Jamie (Isaac Krasner) hears that his cousin Allie (Dora Madison) is bringing her boyfriend on what was supposed to be a family camping trip, he’s upset. She’s his favorite cousin, after all, and if some guy’s coming along, won’t she just be having sex all the time? What about hanging out with Jamie and his older brother Will (Taj Cross)?
Then Jamie meets Dan (David Johnson III), the boyfriend in question. He’s a burly, beefy guy with friendly eyes, a deep, soothing voice, and an inviting smile. Suddenly Jamie finds himself wanting to impress the man, obsessing over whether Dan likes him, desperate to prove he’s cool enough to hang with the big boys. After all, when Dan takes off his sweater, his t-shirt rides up, and Jamie can’t help but stare at Dan’s hairy belly.
Big Boys is a beautifully-observed little coming-of-age story, a coming-out narrative, and a cringe comedy all rolled into one. Over the course of their cousins weekend, Jamie realizes he’s going to have to confront the fact that he’s got quite the thing for Dan…
