Summering, 2022.
Directed by James Pondsolt.
Starring Lia Barnett, Madalen Mills, Eden Grace Redfield, Sanai Victoria, Lake Bell, Sarah Cooper, Ashley Madekwe, Megan Mullally, Colleen Baum, and Dale McKeel.
SYNOPSIS:
Four best friends on the brink of starting middle school, realize their lives are about to change forever. So on the last weekend of summer, they set out to make the most of it.
Co-writer and director James Pondsolt (collaborating with first-time writer Benjamin Percy) is really onto something with Summering, a story of four friends on the verge of middle school entering that strange phase of uncertainty about the notion of getting older. They jokingly talk about what it would be like if taking one step backward brought them back in the time, which is twice as alluring considering they are on their last week of summer break.
Admittedly, some of the initial dialogue is stifled and off, as if the script was written for characters a few years older. There’s a difference between precocious youngsters and awkwardly unbelievable exchanges. Nevertheless, things perk up (and potentially become traumatizing) once the tight-knit group stumbles across a dead body in the woods. Naturally, they all have different reactions aligning with their character traits (everything from CSI junkies to ghost hunting experts), split on whether to tell their parents about their findings or to misguidedly but charmingly go on their own adventure to solve the mystery (of course, trying to figure out if it was a murder or suicide firstly).
The issue here is that while the screenwriters admirably want to examine the individual struggles these kids are going through at home with this sleuthing exercise as a means to test the strength of their friendship, it barely scratches the surface of who they are. If there is a protagonist that receives more material to work with than the others, though, it’s Daisy (a winning performance from Lia Barnett), raised alone by her police officer mother (Lake Bell), seemingly distant. She is under the impression that her father disappeared (typical for a child to believe, while it’s clear to older viewers that he abandoned them in some form), which gives her more drive and purpose to solve this mystery than her friends. To Daisy, this unsolved case is just as important as whatever happened to her father, and on that level, the character’s motivations are involved in getting behind.
Summering is also occasionally funny, namely a sequence involving the only cell phone among the friends that demonstrates that even if the script sometimes feels unnatural, there is wonderful chemistry between this youthful quartet. They also gripe about the overprotective nature of their parents, which is undoubtedly jarring to take in as a kid of the 90s and amusing. On that note, leaning further into comedy would have significantly benefited Summering as its dramatic ambitions fall short, frequently feeling random and undercooked. I can believe one of these impressionable kids believes conducting a séance together would be helpful, but what happens, as a result, is laughable even if it means well on paper.
Most unexpected is that Summering also wants to mine family-friendly jump scares from this dynamic, as the kids see reoccurring visions of the dead man, perhaps as a symbolic reminder to question if they are doing the right thing by investigating rather than informing any adult. Whatever intended purpose there is supposed to be doesn’t change that at the end of the day, these are still cheap spooky attempts that might not even get a rise out of the intended demographic.
Lost in all this tonal shuffling are the other children, who are barely defined. One is prudish, one likes solving crime even if she is not watching those TV shows, and the other likes ghosts. They all also have a problem or two at home; all instantly forgettable considering the story only cares about Daisy. As for the parents, they are shoehorned into becoming friends while searching for where their missing children are during all this, accomplished with forced and cheesy dialogue.
There is also some magical realism afoot, as made clear during the opening credits, leading to a reveal that I was not only hoping Summering would avoid but also makes no sense in its execution; it’s actively cringe-worthy, and a tired cliché, and so is its thematic purpose. If there’s anything the friendship of these children might have trouble enduring, it’s the mediocre and confused storytelling on display.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
