The trailer for “Indian Summer” made it look really friggen good. Anything from 1993 that opens with the blue streaking Touchtone logo is something I need to see. Toss in the plot. Seven friends returning to their childhood summer camp after twenty years in the adult world. It stars Bill Paxton. I was hooked.
Mike Binder wrote and directed. The setting is beautiful, taking place at Camp Tamakwa in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. Binder actually attended the same camp when he was growing up. It’s a detail that explains his passion for the plot.
It’s a coming of age movie for adults.
In a world innocent of social media and smart phones, a group of friends can easily lose touch once they are grown. So the setup of them returning to their beloved summer camp after two decades feels like a great concept. Flashbacks are inserted where needed. They provide character depth. One of the first things the characters marvel at upon returning is how small the camp is. We can all relate to this observation.
The cast is nearly at an all-star level, with many making very early appearances before going on to stardom. Bill Paxton is of course, the man. He leads the ensemble and easily demonstrates his prowess with any role he’s given. We lost him far too soon.
Kimberly Williams and some other people in “Indian Summer”
I was mesmerized by Alan Arkin’s performance in the 1967 film “Wait Until Dark.” Arkin plays the owner of the camp who still treats them like kids. His character has some complexity. He’s spent his entire life running the camp and is contemplating retiring.
Diane Lane, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Pollak are all characters. The stunning Kimberly Williams (not yet) Paisley does her thing as the much younger girlfriend of one of the returning campers.
The movie is fine. It gets a bit repetitive and feels too long, even at 97 minutes. The characters could be more fleshed out. Some of the scenes feel pointless.
“Indian Summer” came out when I was a kid, and maybe that’s why I was drawn to it. It’s nothing special, but I am glad to have watched.
“Indian Summer” is currently available to stream in lots of places.
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