DVD Corner

The Kings Of Summer Blu-ray Review

“The Kings of Summer” is a winning coming of age comedy.  

“The Kings of Summer” is a quirky coming of age story about 3 angsty teen boys (Joe, Patrick, and the oddball eccentric Biaggio) who decide to run away from home and live in a house (that they built) in the woods. Relishing their newfound freedom away from their parents, the three boys set out to have the time of their lives during summer vacation. Alas, things don’t go quite as plan as Joe and Patrick’s friendship becomes tested. Can Joe and Patrick work things out amongst themselves? Will the boys’ patch things up issues they have with their parents?  

“The Kings of Summer” sounds like a standard coming of age comedy on paper, but the film feels surprisingly fresh thanks to a heartfelt and funny screenplay by Chris Galletta. Galletta has crafted a very honest story about friendship, being a teenager, parental problems, and love.

Impressive script aside, the ensemble cast of characters is what really makes the film work. Lead actors Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and Moises Arias all give raw and real performances here and their chemistry seems to be instantaneous from the get-go. The real scene stealers, however, are Nick Offerman (who plays Joe’s grouchy father) and an unnamed goofy Sergeant played by Thomas Middleditch. These two provide much of the film’s humor (especially Offerman) and they make everyone else better around them. While he will no doubt be doing great work on the big and small screen for years to come, I can say (for now) that this is certainly Offerman’s best film performance to date. He just makes the character his own and his acting seems so effortless here.

If I had to point out a weak link, it would probably be the directorial work of Jordan Vogt-Roberts. While he definitely coaxes great performances from his cast, he relies far too heavily on montages and songs to fill time. This could be an editorial decision, but I have to think Jordan was involved in this process as well.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.40:1 1080p. Grade: B+. Not the greatest print, but an adequate hi-def transfer.  

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. Grade: A-. Everything from Ryan Miller’s music to the dialogue sounds sharp here.

Extras:
* Sony trailers.
* 5 deleted and extended scenes.
* “Frankly Speaking With Frank Toy”- A collection of great Frank (Nick Offerman) one-liners.
* “The Long Shot”- A brief featurette with the cast and crew talking about how the project came about, the cast, the story, etc.
* “Alison and Eugene”- An interview with cast members Alison Brie and Eugene Cordero.
* Commentary by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Chris Galletta, Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso and Moises Arias. An enjoyable track with lots of set stories and jokes.

Summary: Between “Street Fighter 2” jokes and surprising comedian cameos, “The Kings of Summer” is always surprising you in the best way possible. Recommended.

September 19, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Nick Offerman, The Kings Of Summer Blu-ray Review