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The Kings of Summer - DVD Review

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4 stars

Joe and Patrick’s summer vacation has just begun, and already their parents make them want to run away. But where can suburban teenage boys go to escape? Joe gets an idea: they’ll build their own house in the secluded woods. After making a crude birdhouse for shop class he asks, “How hard can it be?” They dream about living independently as real men: creating their own shelter, hunting their own food and making their own rules free from adult authority. Joined by the school misfit Biaggio, the friends carry out their plan (more or less) and it goes well for awhile. But jealousy erupts when Patrick invites a girl they know who falls for him, instead of Joe.

Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) are the cast’s most familiar faces, as Patrick’s annoying mom and Joe’s wry, sarcastic dad. But the lesser known young actors lead the movie admirably well. Nick Robinson has natural charisma as Joe, the brains of the group. Gabriel Basso (Patrick) manages to stay sympathetic in a tricky role, playing the best friend who unwittingly steals Joe’s dream girl. Finally, Moises Arias (Biaggio) is likably weird as he delivers deadpan lines like “I can read. I can’t cry,” and “I met a dog the other day that taught me how to die.”

The often funny script keeps the story from getting weighed down by its own drama. The film is also visually stunning, filled with gorgeous natural scenes of sunlit fields and dense woods. The Kings of Summer is a coming-of-age tale as fondly memorable as a long past summer vacation.

{2jtab: Film Details}

The Kings of Summer - DVD ReviewMPAA Rating: R for language and some teen drinking.
Runtime:
95 mins
Director
: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Writer: Chris Galletta
Cast: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias
Genre
: Drama| Comedy
Tagline:
Why live when you can rule.
Memorable Movie Quote: "In Italian, the word for snake means 'the demon's cock'."
Distributor:
CBS Films
Official Site: http://thekingsofsummermovie.com/
Release Date:
May 31, 2013
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
September 24, 2013

Synopsis: 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 the fact that family - whether it is the one you’re born into or the one you create – is something you can't run away from.

{2jtab: DVD Review}

The Kings of Summer - DVD Review

Component Grades
Movie
 
Blu-ray Disc
4 stars
 
3 stars
     
Blu-ray Experience
3.5 stars

DVD

DVD Details:

Available on Blu-ray - September 24, 2013
Formats: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Subtitles
: English; English SDH (subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing); Spanish
Audio: Language and Sound: English, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Other Features:
Color, interactive menu, scene access
Discs: 1
DVD Distributor:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Region Encoding:
1

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Feature-length commentary track with director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, writer Chris Galletta and actors Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias

Special Features:

  • Exclusive on-set interview with Alison Brie (Heather) and Eugene Cordero (Colin)

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