Snack Shack

Set in Nebraska City, Nebraska 1991, teenagers A. J. Carter (Conor Sherry) and his scheming friend Moose Miller (Gabriel LaBelle) try their hand at various get rich quick schemes from placing bets at off track betting parlors to brewing their own beer to sell to other high schoolers. After their parents put a stop to their questionable activities the two empty their savings accounts in order to place an exorbitant bid on the snack shack at the community pool as A. J. now has to pay back the money to avoid being sent to military school. Over the course of the summer A. J. experiences romance, tragedy, and struggle.

Snack Shack is the sophomore mainstream directorial effort of Adam Carter Rehmeier following his 2020 film Dinner in America. The film is a semi-autobiographical film with Rehmeier having based significant parts of the film off his own experience manning a pool shack in his youth. While I found the film to be an acquired tasted due to its purposefully abrasive characters, there is an unmistakable air of authenticity to the film that once I emersed myself in did win me over.

Being set at the start of the 90s, Snack Shack has an air of similar films from the decade that preceded (Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the like) or even more modern ones such as Adventureland. Both Conor Sherry and Gabriel LaBelle give strong performances and have good chemistry as A. J. and Moose, and while their introduction doesn't initially present them as the most likable of characters it does feel true to form in that phase of brash overconfidence that adolescent boys often go through as they approach adulthood. Despite having a heavy focus on shenanigans and risky behavior the movie does also showcase the humanizing aspects of the characters particularly regarding the major milestones of first loves or an untimely tragedy that carry strong weight.

While I didn't enjoy Snack Shack as much as some similar films in this genre (such as The Way Way Back or Adventureland) I did appreciate the film for its authentic presentation that captured not only the look of its time and place but also the feel. The characters are flawed but human and there's a strong core to the movie once you get to know it beyond its slightly abrasive surface.

This the second movie this year that pleasantly surprised me by how good it is despite lacking any hype. The first was "Scrambled," which, while not groundbreaking, I found pretty enjoyable. Snack Shack is the latest one; I recall sitting in the nearly empty theater, thinking it deserved a larger audience than just 2 guys. I have a feeling that years from now, these films will be regarded as some of the hidden gems from the 2020s. We'll wonder why they weren't more widely discussed at the time.

Pretty chaotic start, I think hectic's a better word. The movie's premise pretty fun, two 14yr olds trying successfully come up with successful get-rich-quick schemes. It's not like a lot of movies made recently; the first half of the movie reminds me of the early 2010's when a bunch of R rated movies were being made.

But it's also not just silly fun; it's a compelling coming-of-age story. While it starts off as a fun ride, the emotional depth it offers is unexpected yet satisfying. Gabriel LaBelle reminded me of Jon berthal at times. The acting overall was impressive, and I loved the casting. Although we didn't see much of the other kids' parents, it allowed us to forge stronger connections with the characters present. Overall, the characters are easy to become invested in.

The movie slows down a bit in the middle, wasn't feel good all the way. In hindsight, scenes like A. J. walking alone earlier in the film seem like subtle hints of what was to come. Given that the story is from AJ's perspective, it's understandable that it doesn't maintain a consistently upbeat atmosphere throughout because it's not super fun vibes from him.

The movie takes on a somber tone at times, which is when I began to notice its length. While the start was quick-paced, funny and full of energy, the film gradually evolves into a personal and heartfelt coming-of-age story. The second half leans more towards drama, resulting in a slower pace, but I didn't mind it. Instead, it added depth and emotional complexity, creating a little rollercoaster of emotion.

The movie is predictable In away, particularly potential romantic conflicts with new characters. However, this predictability didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the film for me. While it doesn't revolutionize storytelling, its nostalgic depiction of a bygone era reminded me of "Licorice Pizza". And just like that movie, which I loved despite differing opinions from others, this film effectively transported me to its time period. Unlike "Licorice Pizza," though, this movie isn't as solely character-driven; there's a clear plotline driving the narrative forward.

I feel like the message of the movie is don't let girls get between you and your boy. I laughed cause it reminded me of a 30second clip of Tupac interview about "hoes get horny" you can find on YouTube.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, felt nostalgic. It wasn't what I expected, I saw the trailer play once maybe a month ago and all things would lead you to believe it's a comedy. However, it has a more serious undertone and more emotional depth than you'd expect. So I love it and definitely recommend, just not as a comedy.

So when i saw the trailer of this movie i was like "WOOOAAA they dared?" Like really this movie follow well the style of the 90s. For instance the characters are portrayed as smokers and even tough i was born 85 and only made it to teen in the late 90s i do recall a lot of teenagers smoking. So this felt accurate and they were not afraid to show that yes teenagers smoked then. Never in the movie is it portrayed as "cool" or something you "have to do" and as a non smoker i never understood the point of cigarette at all, but im glad the movie kept the accuracy and was not afraid of showing it off. We should not erase history.

As for the rest, some of it was a bit over the top, like sure the 90s were more lenient, i do recall buying loto tickets for my mom at the store when i was like 10 (now its 18+) so i guess betting is also accurate but the whole making beer and such... these kids were very efficient to say the least. A lot more then i recall my friends and i ever been.

Ok ok enough of speaking if the movie is accurate or not, i think it was. It did a good job capturing the 90s.

I had a lot of fun with the romance aspect and the bro rivalry and such. Sadly in the second half the movie got a bit darker and its where it kinda loss me. Its just it happened out of nowhere and somehow shifted the dymanic of the movie.

I personally watched this as a "raunchy comedy" and was looking for a lot of "feel good". I miss these movies since the stupid woke era took on, so this look right like in my alley and for the most part it was, but then the movie decided to become more of a drama than a raunchy comedy and it just kinda came out of nowhere so it felt a bit "meh".

Without spoiling i could say the movie just dropped the ball in the last act for me and i didn't like its conclusion.

But overall i enjoyed the majority of it so i can't really say i didn't had a good time. Maybe that was the point of the director/screen writer, to make us feel uncomfortable but its not what i was looking for based on the trailer. So if the movie would had gotten an 8 out of 10 prior to this specific part, i have to lower it to a 7. And its one of those were i would even go down to 6.5 but i bump it to 7 because i feel its better than a 6.

But i was disapointed at the end to say the least. I like when movies are feel good. I like when movies give me the escapism of my boring real life. This being set in the 90s and all, even tough characters were a tad older (for today) compare to me, i was still looking for an ideal version of my teenhood. A teenhood i sadly never had.

The first act of this film set it up to be this obnoxious buddy comedy about two scheming capitalists, but the story morphs into a brilliant portrayal of growing up over a summer.

The movie is not as funny as it would like to be at certain points, but that doesn't matter. The strength of the script is in the delivery and the characterization of the two leads and family life.

The conflict can seem a bit silly at first, but then you get it when you realize what life was like at 14. Everything matters until nothing does, and then you fall apart. These actors are admirable, and I respect the fact that they actually look like teenagers.

The script has more f-bombs than Scarface, and it gets loud and obnoxious, and that's what growing up is like. Cannot wait to see more from this director.

Genuine, heartfelt, funny and a true representation of youth. I wish more films were like this. Makes you nostalgic for a time you never lived

...Is all I wanted to say but that's not enough for IMDB. A stellar performance from the entire cast. Kind of forgot I was watching a movie. The dialogue is on point and yes, for those of a wary heart, there's a lot of cussing but unsurprisingly that's how kids speak

This movie could so easily have been produced with all the gloss of Hollywood, fraught with drama, dumbed down, high-stakes, PG-rated just for the money but it remains true to so many people's lived experiences. It's a movie not afraid of showing the rough edges of both comedy and drama

I wish film makers would dare to write and produce movies like this. It would certainly bring me back to the cinema, because movies like this one should be enjoyed on the big screen.