Summer '03

I managed to watch this on Amazon streaming movies.

I had seen Joey King in a couple of other movies and find that she is a very interesting young actress, probably 18 or 19 during making of this movie. As the movie begins her voice-over states how forgettable summers tend to be. But not this one, the summer of 2003 when her old grandmother died.

She plays the role of 16-yr-old Jamie Winkle who is still a mostly good student and obedient daughter. But she happens to be at her grandmother's hospital bed when she dies, but not before revealing a series of "secrets" that she had been holding. This new information throws several things in complete disarray, and that makes 2003 memorable.

My only disappointment with the movie is that it closely follows the current trend in "teen" movies, the script is pretty well filled with filthy language and more sex and sex talk than is needed to tell this story. It muddies the main story which has family members reevaluate their relationships, and young Jamie learning about sex in mostly the wrong ways.

It could have been a much better movie.

As a movie buff, I've seen Joey King around enough to know who she was before walking into this movie. But THIS role was seemingly made for her. From beginning to end, she did a phenomenal job.... effortlessly portraying Jamie.... a 16y/o girl whose rather blunt... (or RUDE - depending on how you look at it) grandmother revealed quite a few "family secrets" on her deathbed. A couple of which sent this otherwise normal family spinning out of control.

Various coming of age themes were explored (love, loss, virginity, sex positivity, friendship, growth, overcoming fears, fights with parents & friends, unforgettable summers, etc) with just a little more bluntness and vulgarity than you might be used to... particularly coming from a female protagonist (this was a good thing... trust me).

The entire cast was awesome... they had great chemistry and there were several scenes that you could tell they had a lot of fun filming together. This was a great coming of age film that I enjoyed much more than I could've possibly imagined. Great job to writer/director Becca Gleason... she nailed this one!

It's the summer of 2003. Jamie Winkle (Joey King) and her family are sent into chaos when her dying grandmother Dotty (June Squibb) unveils a series of revelations. Baby Jamie had been baptized by Dotty without telling her Jewish mother Shira (Andrea Savage). Jamie is taken with Luke who is training to be a priest. March has an unrequited crush on her. Her best friend Emily is a fast girl from L.A.

This is a relatively standard coming of age dysfunctional family comedies about a hormone filled teen. This one is about a girl which comes with its own issues. I struggle with Jamie's likeability. She's struggling to know right from wrong and sex and all the big questions. Joey King is a hot girl looking for sex. It's never quite as funny as a geeky guy desperately trying to lose his virginity. Guys look stupid and the audience laugh at them. It's tougher to make girls struggle to have sex. The best that can be achieved is the girls having bad sex and Jamie isn't even doing that. There are still laughs to be had in this movie but whoever this Becca Gleason is, she has to figure out how to get more humor out of her comedies.

Bryan Adams references aside, this actually could be understood a different way, but I won't go into that. I'd rather let the grandma do that "Talk" for and to you. Now the movie has some sexual talk, which may be something that may cause some people to be completely outraged - especially in America. But if you are above those things, you do get a comedy about a dysfunctional family that actually works quite well.

Especially because of the lead performance. Not sure if you are aware of Joey King, but she really is a natural. Her mixture of innocence and beautiful exterior combined with her acting talent really do the trick here (and in other movies she stars in). And it's imperative, especially considering what she is able to do. Not that this is an admission of guilt or is supposed to free others of guilt for what they do. But if you look to be offended this movie gives you plenty of opportunities! So try to check that at the door before watching the movie - otherwise you won't be able to have fun with watching this. And you can have plenty of that ... no pun intended

Not a comedy, not a drama. That's fine because the movie, as the life, is more complex than placing into a single category would otherwise imply. Do not expect any laught (comedy) or tears/anger (drama). This is a mix btwn a coming-of-age story and living in a, somehow, dysfunctional family (dysfunctional because of grandma last words). The tone is that of a comedy, I would say a rated comedy, the content is (supposed to be) more serious. I loved the work done by Joey King (Jamie), not so much the character she played, a self-centered girl. However who would ever like the way a teen behaves or think when he/she is in the middle of the hormonal storm and in the phase of finding herself as an adult; indeed, most of the time, you cannot even stand your beloved kids when in that phase, so not loving Jamie is understandable. Nothing to say about the other characters/actors. They are either dull, not quite convincing or just poorly written. You can watch it and forget but not regret.

BTW. I read some comments claiming that the movie content is anti-semitic. No way it is (see the producers)!!! Quite the opposite indeed. Catholics (grandma & most characters) here are seen as hypocrite, dumb or just followers of an empty rite. The final scene (Jamie speech at the church) is one of the most offensive thing I could ever had imagined. Acceptable as viewer because movie need to be free but over the lines. The same the depiction of the young priest, depicted as someone searching a stable job occupation (really? In 2018, being a priest in a post-religious world is something not really "safe"). Last but not least the german character (the "real" grandpa of Jamie) is just a joke, not even a stereotype because to be a stereotype you need a truth behind