American Summer (2018) Movie Review

American Summer – Movie Review

Director: Jim Loach

Writer: David Scearce (Screenplay)

Writer: Robert Lipsyte (Novel)

Cast

Blake Cooper (The Maze Runner)
Luke Wilson (Old School)
Liana Liberato (The Beach House)
Judy Greer (Halloween)
Donald Sutherland (Don’t Look Now)

Plot: A bullied adolescent experiences a turning point in summer in which he learns to stand up for himself.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: American Summer starts as bullied teenager Bobby (Cooper) spends his summer at a vacation home. He is joined by his family Marty (Wilson), Lenore (Greer) and sister Michelle (Liberato). Bobby finds himself taking a job for Dr Kahn (Sutherland) wear his outsider status leads to problems with the locals.

As Bobby learns from the people around them, he must learn to stand up for himself. All while his own family are going through their own problems.

Verdict on American Summer

American Summer is a coming-of-age comedy-drama. It follows a bullied teenager that must learn the importance of his life and learn to stand up for himself. All this with the backdrop of his own changing family dynamic.

This is a by-the-book coming-of-age tale that sees a teenager trying to figure out his place in the world. He deals with bullied and learns the importance of getting on with work. However, nothing in this movie ends up feeling original and we have seen everything involved before. The location is the typical area and while this might be based on the original novelist’s life, it doesn’t translate to the big screen with any real impact. In the cast, we get strong performances with what we see the characters going through. They help make the movie entertaining even if the story doesn’t change things.

Final Thoughts – American Summer is a by-the-books coming-of-age tale.