Measure of a Man - Ein fetter Sommer

This film seems uneven upon first watch, but upon analysis there's a sharp division between all of the youth roles and adult roles.

Blake Cooper (chubby kid from CHUCK and MAZE RUNNER) heads the cast with a performance that is thoughtful, genuine and winning. He's surrounded by familiar young characters who are fleshed out by talented young actors.

Then we come to the adult roles: Luke Wilson as the dad is one-dimensional and barely registers. Hence, I didn't really care about his character in the least.

Judy Greer's considerable skills can't bring life to her poorly written part. As a professional, she connects with Blake Cooper, but the dialogue is severely limiting.

Donald Sutherland suffers the most, effecting an accent that might be South African or British, but it comes and goes, and is a terrible attempt. His accent detracts from his character and makes for a ghastly performance.

This could have been a classic coming-of-age movie, but its flaws -- drawn along age lines -- make it an okay one-time watch.

I'm now a fan of Coopers: he does a fantastic job. Interestingly, when I looked him up to see what else he's done, in new pictures he appears to have shed all the weight and cuts a very handsome figure.

The story starts in 1976 with music from that period. A kid get hired by a Dr. Kahn (Donald Sutherland, a college professor?) to do outside yard work while vacationing around a lake. There are several plot lines going on and things are not what they initially seem. If you don't listen and see closely, you will miss the townies calling Dr. Kahn an anti-Semitic slur. Look closely during the ice-tea scene and you will very briefly see a fading number tattooed on Dr. Kahn's left forearm, obviously from a concentration camp. The kid is bullied by 2 of the townies and eventually confronts them and wins their respect. Then, he confronts the doctor who he thinks has been taking advantage of him. In the end, it all ties in together and it's very nice.

Measure of a Man is based on the novel One Fat Summer. The book looks at a young man who overeats and has little focus through his life. When he gets a job and learns to face adversity he learns to be a man. The movie follows the novel for the most part, but loses the humor, and misses the whole point of learning independence and self worth through work and effort. The movie seems to have him sitting around the cabin bored far more often than the book did. I may have liked the movie more if I had not read the book, but I think most people will come to this movie hoping to see the book brought to life.

This film tells the story of a 17 year old man who experiences a life changing summer holiday.

On the macro level, the story is satisfying and heartwarming. It is good to see the changes in the young man. His experiences are quite saddening, but it leads up growth.

Heart warming film about a young kid who's overcoming some issues. He's secretly in love with his best friend, he's getting bullied, he's protecting his little sister, he's worrying about his parents marital problems, all while working for & learning from a learned local. Loved this film, ignore the bad reviews, oh and, great soundtrack.