User reviews

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.

As a movie buff, I've seen Joey King around enough to know who she was before walking into this movie. But THIS role was seemingly made for her. From beginning to end, she did a phenomenal job.... effortlessly portraying Jamie.... a 16y/o girl whose rather blunt... (or RUDE - depending on how you look at it) grandmother revealed quite a few "family secrets" on her deathbed. A couple of which sent this otherwise normal family spinning out of control.

Various coming of age themes were explored (love, loss, virginity, sex positivity, friendship, growth, overcoming fears, fights with parents & friends, unforgettable summers, etc) with just a little more bluntness and vulgarity than you might be used to... particularly coming from a female protagonist (this was a good thing... trust me).

The entire cast was awesome... they had great chemistry and there were several scenes that you could tell they had a lot of fun filming together. This was a great coming of age film that I enjoyed much more than I could've possibly imagined. Great job to writer/director Becca Gleason... she nailed this one!

"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.

Not a comedy, not a drama. That's fine because the movie, as the life, is more complex than placing into a single category would otherwise imply. Do not expect any laught (comedy) or tears/anger (drama). This is a mix btwn a coming-of-age story and living in a, somehow, dysfunctional family (dysfunctional because of grandma last words). The tone is that of a comedy, I would say a rated comedy, the content is (supposed to be) more serious. I loved the work done by Joey King (Jamie), not so much the character she played, a self-centered girl. However who would ever like the way a teen behaves or think when he/she is in the middle of the hormonal storm and in the phase of finding herself as an adult; indeed, most of the time, you cannot even stand your beloved kids when in that phase, so not loving Jamie is understandable. Nothing to say about the other characters/actors. They are either dull, not quite convincing or just poorly written. You can watch it and forget but not regret.

BTW. I read some comments claiming that the movie content is anti-semitic. No way it is (see the producers)!!! Quite the opposite indeed. Catholics (grandma & most characters) here are seen as hypocrite, dumb or just followers of an empty rite. The final scene (Jamie speech at the church) is one of the most offensive thing I could ever had imagined. Acceptable as viewer because movie need to be free but over the lines. The same the depiction of the young priest, depicted as someone searching a stable job occupation (really? In 2018, being a priest in a post-religious world is something not really "safe"). Last but not least the german character (the "real" grandpa of Jamie) is just a joke, not even a stereotype because to be a stereotype you need a truth behind

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.

I don't remember laughing once. Good acting, bad story.

"Summer '03" is a very funny and very honest movie starring the very lovely and talented Joey King as Jamie. This movie's titular year and setting were very nostalgic for me in particular, as I was in my teens and starting high school back in 2003. Therefore, I found this very relatable, which added to my overall enjoyment.

One of this movie's strong points was its honest depictions of various things. Its demonstration of the fact that, while Jamie was very smart and caring, she still left some space open in her life to openly explore and partake in her sexuality is a very real and honest thing that teenagers do (and let's face it, have done for years), and I applaud the writers and filmmaker for including these elements in the story.

Another very real element was Jamie's struggle to find balance among her family dysfunction, religious interest, and her love/sex life. Balance is a hard thing to achieve for anybody of any age or background, so the demonstration of this struggle in a movie like this made it even more enjoyable in my opinion.

All in all, "Summer '03" is definitely worth a watch, and Joey King's lead portrayal is excellent.

Character development was extremely poor, I couldn't see how Jaime's actions progressed to the extreme in such a short time. Also the fact that all her friends turned on her in a snap is not believable. I love all of these actors and wanted so badly to like this movie. But it was crap. I also noticed that they tried really hard to capture the fashion of 2003 but failed miserably. They pretty much just decided to go with 1997 fashion and decided meh close enough.

Came across this little gem looking through IMDb and saw it was free on Prime. Set in 2003 it truly feels like an indie film from the 90s/00s. Camera work, soundtrack, great teen angst, and a solid cast of people that have been in a lot of good stuff in recent years. Characters are solid, acting is effortless, and the themes are relatable. You could pick much worse fare.

I don't know why this film has such horrible reviews. I think it's a very relatable film. I watched the movie without looking at reviews prior to watching and I'm glad I did that otherwise I wouldn't have given the film the time of day. The film portrays a teen who doesn't know exactly what she wants in life or who she wants to be as a person. She struggles with controlling her emotions, and personal relationships while figuring out societal rules and how to be independent. I was 16 in 2006 and I acted very similar to the character, Jaime. Rebelling, using swear words, trying alcohol, being put in sexual situations, it's reminiscent of my teens. If I could NOT relate to the main character, I might think that the film is trashy, due to the language and sexual situations. However, I feel it did a great job at portraying how real teens behave.

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

The story is surprisingly engaging! The protagonist is rebellious but she is really likable. I can relate to her situation and her feelings. The story telling is great as well. I really enjoyed this light hearted coming of age comedy.

Not sure why this got so many awful reviews. Even if you hate the storyline (especially if you're uptight and bothered by teen sexuality theme), the acting is really good. Joey King is perfect for her role as a awkward struggling teen and June Squibb, as the homophobic anti-Semitic, absolutely steals the few crucial scenes she's in.

Honestly, it is just another 'Little Miss Sunshine' wannabe. There's nothing deep in here, if that's what you're looking for. Unless, maybe that was the message of the movie all along- that not all memorable incidents in life need to have a deep meaning or message. In that case, point made.

The only comedic moments are scenes with the dying grandma. The rest of the movie is confusing and illogical.

Music might change, fashion might change but teenagers don't. From a girl perspective this is a coming of age when sixteen year old girls go through the transition from giving that cherry away. I enjoyed this film but I found it was kinda stuck between should it be a comedy or a drama. It is a bit of both but I don't think it will stand the test of time . I would certainly give it a watch as Joey King is a great actress and deserve to go on to bigger and better things.

My biggest question is who is the intended audience? It's comes off as an American Pie "coming of age" type of movie yet is completely unfit for minors. And it's too immature for those over 18. Perhaps if you like dopey "comedies" like American pie you might give this a 5 or 6. Call me too serious but this movie is everything I hate about society today.

This is nothing much but a light comedy, where they show us the life of a 16yo girl and her summer. The whole movie was clear that March liked / loved Jamie, but didn't had the courage to admit it.

There isn't much to say about this movie ... as I already said, light comedy. I won't start to write here a novel like others did, the movie was good, he deserves the score from IMDb, it is a good movie with good actors and a good acting, the story isn't bad aswell.

My score for this movie is ⭐ 6 / 10 ⭐

It was marketed as a comedy, but was mostly just about a stuatory rape with the main character (16) getting with a soon to be ordained priest (25) with no outrage or any consequences for him... because rape culture... if I would have known this was what the main plot was going to be about I would not have watched it, especially with my daughter. Saw the actress and knew we liked her. So disappointed....

Bryan Adams references aside, this actually could be understood a different way, but I won't go into that. I'd rather let the grandma do that "Talk" for and to you. Now the movie has some sexual talk, which may be something that may cause some people to be completely outraged - especially in America. But if you are above those things, you do get a comedy about a dysfunctional family that actually works quite well.

Especially because of the lead performance. Not sure if you are aware of Joey King, but she really is a natural. Her mixture of innocence and beautiful exterior combined with her acting talent really do the trick here (and in other movies she stars in). And it's imperative, especially considering what she is able to do. Not that this is an admission of guilt or is supposed to free others of guilt for what they do. But if you look to be offended this movie gives you plenty of opportunities! So try to check that at the door before watching the movie - otherwise you won't be able to have fun with watching this. And you can have plenty of that ... no pun intended

Totally bogus, infantile depiction of a female journey, actually manages to depict women as ignorant, sex-infatuated idiots, stereotypes abound. Not one redeeming quality hath the main character. Watch at your own peril---a huge stinking pile.

Sorry it's not the actors fault. Director should be ashamed. Waste of money.