“The Kings of Summer” has a tenuous perch on the fence of my critical judgment. It does not fall on one side or the other; it is neither good nor bad, bad nor good. I cannot recommend it, but neither do I pan it. You be the judge.
This comedy/drama by director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writer Chris Galletta, about a trio of teenage boys who run off to the woods to build a ramshackle “palace” and live free, is a meritorious first-time effort made with confidence and competence, but not much originality. Every plot turn and characterization is foreseeable and the visuals are as predictable as your favorite meal at Olive Garden.
But this edifice of foursquare predictability is inhabited by outstanding performers whose charm is unimpeded by the situation comedy set-ups and formulaic pay-offs. Of the three young leads (Nick Robinson, Moisés Arias, Gabriel Basso), Moises Arias is a delight. Arias plays the quirky third wheel to his taller, handsomer co-stars, who vie for the girl while he hugs trees, among other quirky things. The quirk-factor is very difficult to negotiate: the comic relief can be neither too broad nor too diffident; neither too goofy nor too normal. Arias veritably dances this tightrope, no matter how silly his lines or his character’s behavior.
Peopling the rest of the “The Kings of Summer” are actors whose mere presence spruces up the proceedings. Foremost is Nick Offerman, as the widower, who engages in a string of asshole-ish dad behaviors, while underneath beats a heart of gold. The always competent Alison Brie (“Glow”) has a small part as one of the boys’ sister. Throughout the story several delights pop up such as Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”) as a gawky police officer, Kumail Nanjiani (“The Big Sick”) as a sarcastic food delivery driver, Eugene Cordero (“The Good Place”) as Brie’s sweet hapless boyfriend, and Tony Hale (TV’s “Arrested Development”) in a tiny cameo as a bus passenger.
But the pitch-perfect award goes to the ensemble of Megan Mullally and Marc Evan Jackson as the kind, caring, clueless parents who drive their son into the woods with their parental pride and understanding. Their tone and by-play was so, so aggravating to their son and it’s so, so funny to watch them lovingly poke and prod him.
If you would like to watch a dark film about a pair of runaways, one of which is a teen who build a house in the woods, try “Badlands” (1973).
