Hot Summer Nights

This film should have everything going for it. A coming of age film featuring two of the hottest young leads of today. An 80's feel and vibe that should have made it a hit with people who like to feel that wave. It should really have been a film that I could enjoy. Unfortunately, I felt like Hot Summer Nights just got weaker as time went on and falls into genre cliches and fails to impress all around. Side note, Maika Monroe has my heart, good lord.

The film is about a kid in cape cod who links up with a rather aggressive friend who then decide to sell drugs and make good bank of off it. Along the way the lead Daniel Middleton, (Timothee Chalamet) falls in love with his partners sister (Maika Monroe). This causes waves as any type of relationship with her is strictly forbidden in her brothers eyes. Daniel has to balance his relationship and also deal with the dangers that arise in the risky business he finds himself in.

The film is well acted all around. Chalamet is obviously one of the top young actors going around. Maike Monroe is a nice talent that is emerging in these niche type creative horror films (she's also absolutely smokin' in this film as well). The two leads interaction and relationship is nice to watch but its ruined by a film that is high on nostalgic cliches and a typically 80's soundtrack and mood that feels meshed in in a not so subtle manner. There's just no creativity with this effort, it becomes a "been there seen that" type coming of age film that gets even more unimpressive as it goes along.

I was actually really looking forward to this film because it just had the marketing, vibe, and cast that should have made this film one of the best of the summer. Unfortunately, it fails to stir up any good feelings, isn't paced well, and fades away without a second thought. I mean just look at that film poster, how do you fail that? The film truly exemplifies the worst parts of hot summer nights; sticky and gross.

6/10

If given some other writer's screenplay and a directive to restrain himself, director Elijah Bynum could probably make an excellent film. It's true that he blatantly rips off other directors here (Martin Scorsese and P.T. Anderson, most notably), but in doing so it's undeniable that he has proficiency and panache with a camera and, more importantly, a fine ability to work with actors. I'm sure he'll earn an opportunity to direct a second picture soon; although this movie was a critical failure, I can see this being a big hit with the teenagers it's clearly intended for.

The flaws of Hot Summer Nights all derive from its erratic screenplay, which is derivative, juvenile, and incredibly hollow. Bynum has chosen to have the film be narrated by a mostly unseen fringe character--a 13-year-old with a preternatural omniscience concerning the town's gossip. This narration is obnoxious and unnecessary--the best stretch of the movie is the 50 minutes or so where the narration disappears completely--and all it yields are unfunny riffs on sex that belittle the movie's female lead; an air of legendary, larger-than-life status that doesn't quite match the actual movie we're presented; and some incredibly trite observations about class consciousness in a New England tourist town.

That last one is worth thinking about for a moment. The film is introduced as a conflict between haves and have-nots, with townies opposed to summerbirds in a vein similar to Breaking Away or The Outsiders. We're shown preppily dressed vacationers with "white clothes and white teeth," and we're meant to focus on the advantages these privileged people have over our main characters. But the division as presented in this film never rises above mere cliquishness. There's no real material difference that's ever explored in any meaningful way--which is to say, even the "townies" seem pretty well-off to me.

That's one thread that never goes anywhere, but if you start pulling at that thread then the whole thing starts to unravel and you realize you've just got a pile of old rags that was temporarily gussied up to look like something more impressive. Bynum knows how to blend impressive camerawork, solid performances, and a fun soundtrack into something entertaining, but he's put extremely little effort into developing his characters or crafting a meaningful story. That's a shame because Timothée Chalamet, Maika Monroe, Emory Cohen, and the rest of the cast are all very talented and compelling young actors. They nearly succeed in making it seem as though their characters have plausible motivations and consistent personalities, when ultimately what's really going on here is that Bynum just wanted to remake Goodfellas with teenagers.

What drives Daniel Middleton? What does his father's death really have to do with anything? Why does he make the reckless decisions that he does in spite of sound advice to the contrary? What exactly is he trying to prove? What other paths are there for him in life? What other desires, interests, fears, and influences does he have? If you start trying to understand Daniel's character, you see that there's absolutely nothing beneath the surface. Likewise with McKayla. Hunter is given a sliver of nuance, but the action climax--which steals directly from Boogie Nights and Goodfellas--renders all of that moot. This is a movie in which the last word will be given to a 13-year-old speaking wistfully about his sex fantasies. Stand By Me this ain't.

Tonight I choose to check this film out. Honestly, anything A24 releases is always good! That said, I really liked this film. However, it's not perfect. I really didn't understand the main characters initial motivation for why he was doing, what he was doing, girl aside. His thirsty choices didn't really make much sense to me.

However, on the technical aspect of the movie. I really loved the flow of the film and the editing. Also, the soundtrack is sweet! the cinematography, colour, and acting was spot on. This is a film I would still recommend and would give it another watch even with the minor flaws. Because it's entertaining and has a real summer nostalgic, crime, a dark coming of age feel to it.

I'd give this a 7 out of 10.

Enjoyable coming of age/crime flick probably most suited to a younger audience. The story telling was lazy with lots of jump cuts, kind of like a highlight reel of the ups and downs of Danny's summer. You really don't see any relationships develop or get to know any characters in depth. The whole movie is more like a romanticized compilation showing only start and the end of the journey with no middle. That said it started out very superficial and over the top but ended surprisingly heavy and went against a few of my expectations.

I guess you could be forgiven if you thought everyone on the Cape Cod peninaula was toking up after seeing Hot Summer Nights. It seems to be more popular than salt water activities.

After the death of his dad young Timothee Chalamet is sent off to spend summer in Cape Cod with his aunt who is not keeping too tight a rein on him. This innocent kid gets a growing up more than he bargained for with sex, drugs and a bit of rock and roll thrown in.

Sometimes simple acts can decide our future. Like when Chalamet is working behind the counter at a gas station convenience store and in walks Alex Roe who asks to quick hide some drugs and money before the cop who is trailing him comes in. Without thinking he does and soon he's in with Cape Cod's legendary bad boy.

Timothee Chalamet and Maika Monroe are good in their parts, Monroe playing Roe's sister and love object for Chalamet. But you riveted to the screen when Roe is on. He reminds me a lot of Christian Bale another British actor who as a great command of various American accents. Roe has a James Dean like presence on the screen.

It's good and it's not so good for the strangest of partners. I did like the use of a kid narrator for the film. He's just another of the native kids who is almost worshipful to Roe.

Can't say more, but I think the viewer will be surprised at how in the end this trio is where they are.