Summer Love

"Summer '03" (2018 release; 95 min.) brings the story of Jamie, a 15 or 16 yr. old high school student in Cincinnati, and her family. As the movie opens, after a voice -over with summer thoughts ("summer is a generic string of happy memories"), we find Jamie sitting by her grandma in the hospital. In her last moments, grandma divulges several family secrets to Jamie, and then to her dad. It leaves the family bewildered. Following grandma's death, Jamie stops by a catholic church, where she meets Luke. He is about to be ordained into the priesthood later in the week, but the two hit it off immediately... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out,

Couple of comments: this is written and directed by up-and-coming Becca Gleason, who graduated in 2006 from Indian High School here in Cincinnati (where I live). While there are a number of spoken references (including to "St.X', which would be St. Xavier, the all-boys Jesuit high school), don't look for any Cincinnati landmarks (the movie was filmed in Georgia). Gleason brings a familiar theme, a conflicted girl coming-of-age in a dysfunctional family (and I'm being mild). The movie is helped by the charming lead performance of Joey King as Jamie. But that's really about it. There are too many scenes that have a 'done by the numbers" feeling. And the yelling! It seems Jamie's parents are, literally, yelling throughout the movie. I can't help but compare this to another recent coming of age movie, the brilliant "Eighth Grade", which outshines "Summer '03" by a mile or two and on every level.

"Summer '03" opened last weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Wednesday early evening screening where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening, as in: I literally was the only person in the theater. I honestly can't see this playing in theaters very long. If you are interested in coming-of-age movies, and you keep your expectations in check, I'd suggest you seek out "Summer '03", be it in the theater (not very likely at this point), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

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.

One of the most real descriptions of what teenage girls go through during a pivotal summer. Raging hormones, rebellious acting out. The brother Dylan was also hilarious. If there was one thing that seemed slightly less realistic it was the fact that it was so easy for high school students to get alcohol. The language might be off putting for some of the more prudish however this is how a lot of high school girls talk whether you want to admit it or not.

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.

Good performances. And a few gems, both comedic and dramatic. But ultimately, it feels not quite there. Not exactly an original story, and the parts that stand out feel forced, meandering. Bonus point for casting Paul Scheer.

6 out of 10 stars