The Kings of Summer (2013)
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 107
Fresh: 81 | Rotten: 26
Thanks to charming performances and endearingly off-kilter spirit, The Kings of Summer proves to be a slight, sweet entry in the crowded coming-of-age genre.
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 11
Thanks to charming performances and endearingly off-kilter spirit, The Kings of Summer proves to be a slight, sweet entry in the crowded coming-of-age genre.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 13,033
Movie Info
Premiering to rave reviews at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, THE KINGS OF SUMMER is a unique coming-of-age comedy about three teenage friends - Joe (Nick Robinson), Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and the eccentric and unpredictable Biaggio (Moises Arias) - who, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land. Free from their parents' rules, their idyllic summer quickly becomes a test of friendship as each boy learns to appreciate
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Cast
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Nick Robinson
Joe -
Gabriel Basso
Patrick -
Moises Arias
Biaggio -
Nick Offerman
Frank -
Alison Brie
Heather -
Megan Mullally
Mrs. Keenan -
Mary Lynn Rajskub
Captain Davis -
Erin Moriarty
Kelly -
Craig Cackowski
Mr. Larson -
William Sonnie
Track Suit -
Nathan Keyes
Paul -
Cristoffer Carter
Construction Kid -
Priscilla Kaczuk
Grandma Keenan -
Marc Evan Jackson
Mr. Keenan -
Eugene Cordero
Colin -
Thomas Middleditch
Rookie Cop -
Lili Reinhart
Vicki -
Austin Abrams
Aaron -
Paul Floriano
Italian Man -
Brian Sacca
No Sideburns -
Peter Karinen
No Sideburns' Friend -
Tony Hale
Bus Passenger -
Hannibal Buress
Bus Driver -
Kumail Nanjiani
Delivery Guy -
Jeffrey Grover
Detective -
Eric Wasserman
Second Detective -
Nicholas Rutherford
Visor -
Angela Trimbur
Face Paint -
Jennifer Lindgren
News Reporter -
Michael Cipiti
Biaggio's Dad -
Gillian Vigman
Carol
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The Kings of Summer Trailer & Photos
All Critics (107) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (81) | Rotten (26) | DVD (1)
Coming on like Stand by Me meets Son of Rambow, the boys' adventure is essentially dreamy indie-teen wish-fulfilment.
Top CriticA warm and affectionate comedy about that last great summer when you're 13 or 14 and you don't realize just how much your life is about to change and things will never be the same.
There is much here to admire, but the overall impression is of a film that does not have the courage of its convictions.
Once they go into the woods, the movie becomes as interesting as watching kids hang around and play with sticks.
In its small, independent way, "The Kings of Summer" rules.
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writer Chris Galletta bring a fresh and sympathetic eye to the story, evoking the pleasure of what feels - for a little while - like endless possibilities.
Mashes a heightened sense of the absurd rather awkwardly up against arty pastoral, and the mock-seriousness of the endeavor comes across as unpleasantly snide.
With a good helping of humor and engaging performances, The Kings of Summer makes for a delightfully entertaining coming of age tale.
Like lazy summer days, it will be forgotten almost as soon as it's over.
Rich in suburban subtext, The Kings Of Summer is a coming-of-age indie movie full of poignancy, charm and strong performances.
Thanks in no small part to its trio of hugely likeable teenage leads, the film breezes along, mixing comedy with drama to often seamless effect, while exploring the kind of issues that viewers can all find relatable.
Quirky, funny, occasionally too whimsical and at times implausible, it's rather like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meeting the cast of Rebel Without a Cause.
This is the kind of American independent comedy-drama that restores our faith in the cinema, combining a talented cast, witty direction and a razor-sharp script to reboot the coming-of-age genre.
The Kings of Summer can't quite decide between dysfunctional family drama, the aesthetics of floaty Americana, Goonies-brand adventurism and outbursts of rip-roaring comedy.
The reasons for raves at the Sundance Film Festival? The film's charm, freshness, wit and skewiness of vision.
Like a summer fling, forgotten as soon as you re-enter the real world.
It lollops along to its own lazy drumbeat, perfectly evoking that too-brief time of life when you could pass the evenings drunk on stolen beer and all the spare time you could dream of.
A sunny and reasonably funny coming-of-ager from Sundance-ratified debutant Jordan Vogt-Roberts.
The spirit of Stand By Me lives on in The Kings of Summer, a poignant and frequently hilarious coming-of-age film about three teenage friends yearning for freedom and independence.
First love, a friend's powerless deception and a perfectly timeless score, credited to Ryan Miller, keep things moving along in a feel-good kind of way.
The first two-thirds of the movie felt rather special, while the last third less so. Still, it has its charms, the kids are appealing and it's worth catching.
The kids are superb - the ups and downs of the Joe/Patrick friendship ring true, while oddball Moises Arias steals scenes left, right and off-centre.
A hugely enjoyable, acutely observed and frequently hilarious coming-of-age drama with a delightful script, likeable characters and terrific performances from a note-perfect cast.
A supremely entertaining adventure that might threaten to fall over a couple of times but always regains its balance.
It's impeccably stylized, but that only makes it seem more like hand-me-down Wes Anderson, a vaporous amassment of quirk.
Audience Reviews for The Kings of Summer
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Biaggio: I met a dog the other day that taught me how to die.
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- Frank: I see the value in these now. I can have the kids from the neighborhood now and bounce up and down on them at a fucking party.
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- Frank: Got his mother's fanny.
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- Mr. Larson: Yes, I experienced a childhood on the planet Earth. I've heard the story of the boy who cried wolf.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone gonna see this? | 3 months ago | 4 |
| Kings of Summer | 2 months ago | 0 |
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Foreign Titles
- The Kings of Summer (DE)
- The Kings of Summer (UK)
Great Film! A great mix of classic coming of age tales such as Stand By Me and the indie comedies of recent times that hits the comedic and dramatic notes without ever being saccharine, annoyingly quirky or overly morbid as so many indie comedies fall into. I highly recommend the film; it will transport you back to your terrible but wonderful teenage years and is genuinely hilarious, I can't imagine a single person not liking this film.
Joe Toy, on the verge of adolescence, finds himself increasingly frustrated by his single father, Frank's attempts to manage his life. Declaring his freedom once and for all, he escapes to a clearing in the woods with his best friend, Patrick, and a strange kid named Biaggio. He announces that they are going to build a house there, free from responsibility and parents. Once their makeshift abode is finished, the three young men find themselves masters of their own destiny, alone in the woods.