Three teenage boys decide to leave the doldrums of their home life and run away to the wilderness in this coming-of-age tale.
With his mother deceased, Joe (Nick Robinson) is having a tough time due to his overbearing father. His best friend Patrick is equally unhappy at home with his incredibly-happy-at-all-times parents. Following a party gone awry, Joe stumbles across a patch of wilderness and decides to move there and build a wood house to live in with Nick and Biaggio – a strange scene-stealing boy who just decided to tag along uninvited.
The boy’s families start to search for them with the aid of two police officers and all seems to be going well for the boys, until the arrival of Kelly. Joe loves Kelly, who in turn loves Nick, a predicament that many can relate to in their younger days.
The film is visually striking and well edited. There is a sense of innocence and adventure, much like a modern day Goonies, but without the pirates, treasure and a criminal family. The Kings of Summer captures youth well, first time director Jordan Voight-Roberts did a great job, as did writer Chris Galletta.
The film does suffer in places, such as the sentimental areas, but it makes up for it in the sense of having fun whilst you can. The cast all do a great job in the roles, especially the three boys.
An enjoyable romp for all.
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