The Kings Of Summer

We all know what is was like to be a teenager. We all have dreams, hopes and try to find our way in society. I remember i was a shy nerd. Not very popular among girls, but i found my way eventually and had great friends. In summertime i remember we used to do all kinds of things, i even got to travel far away to Spain and Greece, while some of my best friends never travelled abroad. I suppose no matter how you lived your life as a teenager, we all have memories of good times and bad times, but these memories will always be remembered. The Kings Of Summer is a drama motion picture, about growing up as young men, trying to deal with life. Praised at the Sundance Film Festival by both critics and the audience, is this a modern Stand By Me, or an independent movie with nothing to share ?

Joe Toy ( Nick Robinson ) is frustrated about his father Frank Toy ( Nick Offerman ). Frank is an expert at making his son become punished for every single mistake he does. Joe have had enough, so he finds a place in a forest with his 2 friends Patrick Keenan ( Gabriel Basso ) and the very odd Biaggio ( Moisés Aires ). Here they start building their own house, from material they can find, and buy thanks to Joe´s dad´s stolen money. They finally manage to get the house builded, without letting anyone know what they have done. One day the escape from their family home, and begin living in the forest, trying to learn how to survive. While they are missing, the boys families report their kids missing, as police begin to investigate where the kids might be. The boys keep on their lives in the forest, bringing in some friends to also live free. But as the days go by, everything they thought would be perfect, is about to change for everyone.

I don´t understand why no one gave The Kings Of Summer a chance in Sweden to have a screening. Was it because it did not do well at the box office in Usa ? Probably, or simply because this is a much smaller film, and most of them always gets released first on dvd, unless they get alot of attention. This is a motion picture that take on many subjects about being young, and thankfully the cast make The Kings Of Summer worth watching. This is actually the debut movie by director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and i have to say he is very talented. He manage to find a way to both deliver beautiful scenes with deep emotions, in a very detailed way. There are some slow moments, but overall this is a great debut feature film by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and i hope he continue making independent movies in the future. Now, i have to say that Moisés Aires is fantastic as the very odd teenager Biaggio, he is a mix of Steve Urkel and Napoleon Dynamite in his own unique way. The Kings Of Summer came out on dvd in the Uk in late September, no release date for Sweden yet, but make sure you buy this one, and you will have a great summer moment with these boys.

Rating: DDD