The Kings of Summer: Retreating to a cabin in the woods

Distributed by CBS Films, The Kings of Summer has money behind it, but is relying upon good old-fashioned word-of-mouth for promotion. The indie film shot in Northeast Ohio premiered earlier this year at Sundance and has played small festivals such as the Cleveland International Film Festival before slowly being rolled out to theaters across the country this week. That’s a smart move since this is the kind of sweet sort of coming-of -age film that could benefit more from positive recommendations than from a big marketing campaign.

Though it’s the first effort from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (who works with a sharp script by Chris Galletta), the film’s cast features some significant stars, notably Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman, who doesn’t really have to stretch for the role of Frank Toy, a stern single father who has issues when it comes to communicating with both his son Joe (Nick Robinson) and his daughter Heather (Alison Brie). Frustrated with his father’s lack of parenting skills, Joe runs away with his friend Patrick (Gabriel Basso) and fellow classmate Biaggio (Moises Arias), a minor oddball acquaintance who proves to be an even stranger kid than Joe originally imagined. The three fashion a hangout house in the woods and stay there, sending their parents into a panic when they don’t come home.

Tensions mount out in the woods, however, as the boys realize that can’t run away from themselves and that they must come to terms with their own emotional issues. Predictably enough, Joe and Patrick fall for the same girl (Erin Moriarity) and that becomes the basis of one dispute.

Though Kings of Summer essentially sticks to tried-and-true coming of age motifs, it doesn’t settle for sentimentality, making it the kind of indie flick that can successfully open film festivals and appeal to broad audiences. The boys seem a little old to be having their Stand by Me summer and the flick seems a bit out of sync with the real problems facing teens in today’s society, but its strong cast, humor, and sometimes timeless Wes Anderson-like charm outweigh any shortcomings.