Summer of ’84 (Review)
Summer of ’84 is Big on Nostalgia, but Short On Everything Else.
Summer of ‘84 is a coming of age film that shamelessly rides the wave of nostalgia that’s been growing across the country. Nothing connects with an audience quite like fond memories of growing up in a time before hashtags, blu-ray, and even dial-up. It’s like being thrown back into the wilderness again and forced to remember the lengths we once went to entertain ourselves before the internet. Of course, going on adventures was a sure fire way to pass the time and Summer of ‘84 manages to capture that magic for us all to remember fondly. It also adds in a serial killer for good measure.
If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, The Goonies, or even the recent IT film, you’re going to get a kick out of Summer of ‘84. The film follows four boys trying their best to pass the time during their summer vacation. In their boredom, they decide to investigate a string of random murders that could be the work of a serial killer. It seems like quite the fun little adventure until the killer discovers that the kids might just be on to him.
For me, the most jarring aspect of this film was how the teenage boys in it are portrayed. It’s been a while since I was a teen, but I don’t remember being half as horny or desperate as these guys are. I was almost embarrassed for the kids given how much they talk about masturbating and crack jokes about sex (something none of them has clearly experienced). It gets worse when an older girl joins them on their adventure (Tiera Skovbye). At least she’s able to play off the tornado of hormones she’s surrounded with and does a pretty good job of fitting in with the boys. The leads though offer some lackluster performances and shifty chemistry when it comes to their scenes together. All in all, it has its heart in the right place with the themes and elements it wants to capture. However, it becomes a bit too much of a teenage fantasy movie as one of the pressing questions becomes, “Will Davey get his dick wet?”
At the heart of any coming of age, stories are the trials and tribulations children must go through on their journey to adulthood. It might seem obvious that the main trial in Summer of ‘84 is trying not to get killed by a serial killer. Luckily, the film goes much deeper than that and tackles things like young love, abuse, and even divorce. While it doesn’t dive too deep into these elements, I’m glad that it didn’t take a look back at childhood in the 80’s with rose-tinted glasses. Being a kid kinda sucked no matter when you grew up and a lot of the problems we have now were around then as well. Still, all of these problems seem trivial when there’s a serial killer living next door.
For me, Rich Sommer makes Summer of ‘84. While audiences might remember him best from the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, he gets his creep on pretty hardcore for this film. While he’s not overtly off-putting, there’s a dark persona lurking just below the surface and as the story unfolds it gets pretty twisted. The thing that really stays with you is just how in control he seems throughout everything. He remains unphased as the kids close in on him and even the adults start to question him. While many serial killer characters tend to flip out and blow it all because of their ego, Sommer constantly plays his cards close to the vest. Never letting you see the true him until the very end.
One of the saving graces of Summer of ‘84 is how much it devotes itself to being a period piece. Of course, it helps make things all the more thrilling since the kids can’t just hop on the internet to do their research, but it’s more than that. The soundtrack of the film features the heavy synthesizer music that so many people loved from Stranger Things which serious invokes a sense of dread through the story. They even found a creative way to get around finding vintage clothes by decking the kids out in shirts sporting footwear logos. It gets a little obvious towards the end, but I appreciate the creativity behind the costuming choices.
While I certainly had a few issues with Summer of ‘84, the ending won me over. I won’t give it away, but it’s a brilliant homage to horror films of the time. There are plenty of loose ends, but by that point, it’s hard to really care about any of them. In principle, Summer of ‘84 is an awesome twist on the whole coming of age genre and I give it credit for having a lot of really great ideas. The execution leaves something to be desired, but that whole 80’s nostalgia wave that we’re in the middle of makes up for that. As off-putting as the boys were at times, the script is solid and this is a pretty well done indie horror movie.
