Hot Summer Nights

This coming-to-age film starring some pretty decent talent with the likes of Maika Monroe and Thomas Jane, is about a boy who becomes entangled in a world of drugs, money, and corruption during one summer in Cape Cod, now going into this movie I saw nothing but the one trailer that was released of my knowledge, and was pretty much stoked. I'm a big fan of these underground goodies not enough people talk about, also the sheer fact you had the likes of Maika (It follows), which was reason enough to get me to watch it because that was a great film, and i was throughly surprised not only with the films setting, and plot. This film has great cinematography and a all around 80's feel to it from the clothes that these kids wear all the way to the drive in movie theater. And performance from all the cast is quite well from a Timothy who did well playing a shy, awkward kid. To Thomas Jane's Odd Cop role. It's a movie that I'll reconsider watching again, maybe even owning on blu Ray. Because the rewatchability is there

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.

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.

Its a very stylish movie, sort of like Baby Driver was. The visuals are great, and the choice of music is inspired. However, the plot makes the plot of Baby Driver look like Tolstoy.

There's a buddy friendship that goes nowhere. A hot chick. A couple of drug dealers and incidental characters - and that's pretty much the movie.

I can understand people rating it highly on appearance, but thats all there is to this movie. Its perfectly tailored to give the illusion of depth, when it really has none at all.Its sad, because it has all the elements for a decent plot, but it seems that was simply not a high priority for the movie.

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