Snack Shack

Set in Nebraska City, Nebraska 1991, teenagers A. J. Carter (Conor Sherry) and his scheming friend Moose Miller (Gabriel LaBelle) try their hand at various get rich quick schemes from placing bets at off track betting parlors to brewing their own beer to sell to other high schoolers. After their parents put a stop to their questionable activities the two empty their savings accounts in order to place an exorbitant bid on the snack shack at the community pool as A. J. now has to pay back the money to avoid being sent to military school. Over the course of the summer A. J. experiences romance, tragedy, and struggle.

Snack Shack is the sophomore mainstream directorial effort of Adam Carter Rehmeier following his 2020 film Dinner in America. The film is a semi-autobiographical film with Rehmeier having based significant parts of the film off his own experience manning a pool shack in his youth. While I found the film to be an acquired tasted due to its purposefully abrasive characters, there is an unmistakable air of authenticity to the film that once I emersed myself in did win me over.

Being set at the start of the 90s, Snack Shack has an air of similar films from the decade that preceded (Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the like) or even more modern ones such as Adventureland. Both Conor Sherry and Gabriel LaBelle give strong performances and have good chemistry as A. J. and Moose, and while their introduction doesn't initially present them as the most likable of characters it does feel true to form in that phase of brash overconfidence that adolescent boys often go through as they approach adulthood. Despite having a heavy focus on shenanigans and risky behavior the movie does also showcase the humanizing aspects of the characters particularly regarding the major milestones of first loves or an untimely tragedy that carry strong weight.

While I didn't enjoy Snack Shack as much as some similar films in this genre (such as The Way Way Back or Adventureland) I did appreciate the film for its authentic presentation that captured not only the look of its time and place but also the feel. The characters are flawed but human and there's a strong core to the movie once you get to know it beyond its slightly abrasive surface.

I miss when comedies weren't afraid of offending anyone. I miss when comedies didn't try to teach me a lesson. I miss when comedies accurately showed how guys act and talk around each other.

I forgot how much I missed them until I watched Snack Shack. Now while this can be described as a 90s throwback comedy, it does a great job of celebrating bro culture without celebrating some of the creepy stuff from 80s/90s comedies, like peeping on women.

Having said that, some of the vulgar language and jokes had me cracking up. It reminds me of so many conversations I've had with my friends. The situations and movie overall are pretty hilarious, with a few highly memorable parts.

Lead actor Conor Sherry kills it. He does a great job with the comedy, with the perfect balance of being a dork without being a wuss. And there are a few serious moments where his performance made me say, "Wow." I think we'll be seeing more of him.

A couple things hold this back from being an instant comedy classic. Later in the movie, it focuses less on comedy and more on drama, both romantic and non. Most of it is done well, but there are very few laughs in the last half hour. And some of the romance drama feels manufactured, forced and unnecessary.

I still had a good time with this movie and encourage people to support R-rated comedies. We don't get nearly enough of them.

(1 viewing, early fan screening 3/6/2024)

Genuine, heartfelt, funny and a true representation of youth. I wish more films were like this. Makes you nostalgic for a time you never lived

...Is all I wanted to say but that's not enough for IMDB. A stellar performance from the entire cast. Kind of forgot I was watching a movie. The dialogue is on point and yes, for those of a wary heart, there's a lot of cussing but unsurprisingly that's how kids speak

This movie could so easily have been produced with all the gloss of Hollywood, fraught with drama, dumbed down, high-stakes, PG-rated just for the money but it remains true to so many people's lived experiences. It's a movie not afraid of showing the rough edges of both comedy and drama

I wish film makers would dare to write and produce movies like this. It would certainly bring me back to the cinema, because movies like this one should be enjoyed on the big screen.

The Snack Shack like a modern Sandlot.

This movie is about two best friends and their schemes and shenanigans over a summer in Nebraska in 1991. One friend is the schemer who always has an idea and a plan for what to do next, and the other friend is the more level headed but very ambitious go getter. Together they execute these risky plans that might get them into trouble with their parents but venture to make money and have fun over the summer.

At it's core it might sound generic and formulaic for a coming of age movie but it shines due to the amount of heart and soul poured into it.

The acting is expertly done. The script allows for campy, comedy, and realism to flow through the characters. The jokes land and the physical comedy is well timed.

The movie is also able to juggle varying tone quite well and keeps the overall pacing solid One con I will say is that I don't know what the overall theme of the movie was supposed to be, or if there was supposed to be one.

Nevertheless the Snack Shack is a very heartfelt coming of age comedy that clearly had a lot of hard work and heart put into it.

I knew very little about this movie before sitting down to watch it, I saw a trailer a while back and made a mental note to check it out. I. So happy I decided to watch it. You can't help but enjoy the performances of the two leads, it's easy to believe that they are best friends by the camaraderie they share. Excellent job by the actors - I didn't know either of them, but can't wait to see what they do next. Their bond is the backbone of the story - along with a great per by a young lady (also unknown to me) - combined, these actors take you back to the 1990s, and revisit a slightly more innocent time. There is a lot of fun with period references, but if you don't know them you still enjoy the ride.

There is a bit a formula in the script, but really, it just plain works. I was not the only person in the audience who was laughing out loud many, many times, and then wiping aside tears at extremely moving final scenes. This movie is one that is worthy of your time - don't miss it.