The Kings of Summer
★★★★
Dir: Jordan Voight-Roberts
(2013)
Jordan Voight-Robert's brilliantly nostalgic film takes us back to a time in our lives when the world we had not yet truly experienced seemed too much to handle. That whim of fleeing everything to live in the woods away from responsibilities, overbearing parents and general high school awkwardness are staples of growing up. Wes Anderson explored the more fantastical elements of it in his Moonrise Kingdom last year but where Anderson's influences lie in the European films he so obviously adores Voight Roberts walks the line between the absurd and the genuinely touching, injecting The Kings of Summer with a high dose of Superbad or Stand by Me every time things get a little too syrupy and that is in no way a bad thing.
When the fifteen year old Joe finally has his fill of his recently widowed father (played brilliantly by Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman) he and his quiet brow beaten mate Patrick decide that running away, building a cabin in the woods and living of the land is not only the only way forward, it's a necessity for their independence. They also score a tag-along nut case in the very small shape of Biaggio a mysterious, thoughtful soul with a penchant for camouflage.
Chris Galletta's very funny script hands most of the great lines to Offerman, whose deadpan delivery is absolutely delicious and dark but the boys are fantastic here; Nick Robinson as Joe, Gabriel Basso as Patrick and Moises Arias as Biaggio all work hard to make their characters differently sympathetic individuals. The film somehow feels timeless, despite its video games and soundtrack references. It will cleverly snare teens and adults alike.
The saddest elements of The Kings of Summer, the arrival of both snakes and girls in the trio's oasis and the traditional finale are given more blatant punch than they need but the film counters for this with just the right amount of comedy throughout. It's a fine balancing act which makes the whole thing not too sweet and not too sour. In short, an incredible film for anyone who ever loved their tree house more than their bedroom and a fine debut indeed from Voight-Roberts.
