The Worst Film Ever

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

I was taken with this film from the start. The cinematography is beautifully done, capturing the real essence of hazy summer days. It has a simple plot yet the script is witty delivering some great one liners from disaffected teens and equally apathetic parents with a sterling performance from Moisés Arias who plays Biaggio. A film well worth a watch and its place at the Sundance Film Festival.

Joe is in a hurry to grow up. He wants to build his own house, hunt his own food and live without his grumpy old dad. With two of his fellows in crime, he runs away to live in the woods at a self-built log cabin.The story is blasé enough, but the climax is well executed. What seemed caricatures from 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' in the first half, graduated with poignant moments of loneliness when Joe learns what it means to be alone. A month in the woods becomes a long internship to maturity. Friends leave him and love eludes him as he struggles to survive. In short, the film is simple yet engaging. Definitely a one time watch.

Coming-of-age movies come in all shapes and sizes, most of them sentimental and almost all of them wistful. Some of them are about girls finding boys but most of them are about boys finding themselves, (and sometimes girls, as well). "The Kings of Summer" belongs very much to the latter category. It's gentle, lovely to look at and saves its dramas until the end; it also happens to be very funny.Here is a movie about teenage boys growing up that isn't primarily concerned with sex or violence but with building a house in the woods. It's been compared to "Stand By Me" but it's much looser. It's more like something David Gordon Green would have done early in his career but it's much tighter. It's also a little like Malick's "The Tree of Life" but without the angst and it's beautifully played, both by the boys, (Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias), and their parents, (including Megan Mullally). I loved every sweet, tender moment.

Everyone thinks their parents are crazy, but in the case of Joe, Patrick, & Biaggio, their parents really are nuts. Looking to escape the insanity of their every day lives, the boys decide one summer to build a cabin in the woods, where they can live off the land like men. Nick Robinson stars as Joe, and gives a performance that is out of this world. In a film that stars three kids in the woods, it would be very easy for things to turn stupid very quickly, but as the leader of the pack, Joe not only keeps the group together, but keeps the story together. No matter what this young man does over the course of his career, he will have a hard time duplicating what was easily a career defining performance. Robinson is paired with Disney star Moises Arias, who until now I thought was just this weird little guy they used to guest in their shows. Arias plays Biaggio, easily one of the funniest characters I've seen in a very long time, some of the things that come out of his mouth are just fall on the floor funny. As the kids enjoy their time in the woods, their parents really start to show their crazy, as they go on a hunt for the lost boys. The characters were all unique in their own way, but Joe's father, played by Nick Offerman, was far and away the best, leading the parents the same way, his son lead the boys. From gigantic wontons to turtles on kites, The Kings of Summer is an extremely enjoyable film and the rare instance of a film that I wish was longer. I truly loved every second of this smart coming of age comedy, for it's uniqueness and young exciting cast. Blending dramatic and comedic elements, The Kings of Summer is that perfect mix that takes you from laughter to tears and back again. For that, this film is an easy choice for one of our must see movies!