Friday, October 14, 2022

Movie review - "Summer Days Summer Nights" (2021) **

 This Edward Burns film has a lot more visual confidence than other movies of his I've seen - long tracking shots, pans... maybe a new DOP, maybe more money. (It's not a big budgeted film but the soundtrack includes some well known songs from the early 80s). It's kind of Burns' American Graffiti being about several young people over one summer... it might've been better had it focused on a tighter time frame.

There's a lot of skinny/slender young actors walking around - no one eats too much food in this one. It is sometimes hard to tell the cast apart - maybe they're more familiar for US actors. I recognise Burns, of course, who plays (quite well) a dad, Anthony Ramos from In the Heights and Australia's own Caitlin Stasey.

There's also some bearded muso type who floats through the film and makes you go (me go anyway) "jeez, mate what's your frigging problem in life, f*ck off".

He's part of several subplots. Beardy falls for a blonde girl who is hung up on a guy. Another guy is hung up on his ex, who turns up having broken up from her husband who she is still hung up on. Another guy is  hung up on his ex and has a really hot "older" woman come on to him (she's 22) and encourages him to follow his dreams. I think that's it.

 It touches on the regular Burns themes - following your dreams as opposed to societal expectation, and The One That Got Away. It is pleasant.

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