User reviews

I liked the songs but they were sung so out of tune it made it hard to watch. Glad to see girls rising up to do their thing, as we know we HAVE been capable all along. Typical "love" story though, nothing new.

The Story is good even though it's a little predictable. The pacing felt off at times and made the film drag on.

Some of the shots were done very well and beautifully show off the nice landscapes of Indiana!

Like most movies there are good things and bad things, but overall it's worth a watch!!

As a musician, this might be the worst movie about musicians I've ever seen. The songwriting was embarrassingly cheesy, the vocals hard to listen to, and the execution of pretending to play or sing was pretty poor; entirely aside from the believability of these people as musicians chasing a dream being nil. The girl/ guy chemistry was non existent and the interactions cringeworthy.

The acting is pretty decent. The music and singing is just not good. Not good enough for this to be a movie about professional musicians. The song writing is bad. It could have been a good movie with real musicians and vocalists.

Felt like the plot was thrown at you. No inclination the dad had an alcohol problem but only showed two seconds of background of it and then showed him in the hospital. Bad singers for a role where she was supposed to be fulfilling her dream of becoming a singer. Very awkward acting and storyline where it was hard to follow.

A musically-inclined young woman working on her ill father's sod farm in northern Indiana (Tori Titmas) joins a touring country band and discovers her gift for writing songs.

"The Girls of Summer" (2020) was director John D. Hancock's most recent film and likely his last seeing as how he's now 85. He helmed "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" and "California Dreaming" in the 70s, which means he's no slouch. Here, he's strapped with a very low-budget and several amateur actors, filming in his area of residence, La Porte, Indiana, and places nearby.

Don't get me wrong, Tori Titmas does well as the protagonist and the actors who play the father (Jeff Puckett), Luke (Nathan Hosner) and Ben Stone (Dustin Chilton) do a fine job. It's the others who aren't up to snuff, although they're okay some of the time. However, the brawl in the night club is awkwardly executed. It needed reshoots and reediting, but that takes time and time is money in this biz.

Still, there's enough good here if you can roll with the defects of subdued Indie filmmaking and are in the mood for something along the lines of "Tender Mercies" or the underrated "The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll" (2009), even "Coal Miner's Daughter." The soulful country songs are quite good, speaking as someone who's not a fan. Yet it's in the area of human interest that the flick works best as Maren grows in her talents and learns a thing or two about life and people.

It runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in north-central Indiana and southwest Michigan (La Porte, Michigan City, St. Joseph, Niles and so on).

GRADE: C+/B-

Like the time tested old saying.. suffering through this film-abortion resembled "watching paint dry"!

When I first heard about this movie, I thought it would be a little boring and drawn out. I was so wrong. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me feel good. The music is outstanding. A movie you dont want to end.

Mostly a musical with a little bit of drama for fans of soulful country music it is entertaining.

It's a beautiful day in Indiana. Working on their family sod field, the Taylor sisters are looking forward to the coming evening with both joy and sadness. Soon two of them will be leaving home to pursue other endeavors but first, for the last time, tonight The Girls of Summer will take the stage.

Beautifully photographed and smoothly paced, "The Girls of Summer" follows oldest sister Maren (Tori Titmas, who also wrote the screenplay) as she embarks on the journey of life. A chance meeting at their last gig with former country star Luke Thomas (Hosner) offers her the opportunity to join his touring band - he's on the comeback trail, an opportunity she originally turns down to stay home and care for her father (Puckett), still grieving for his late wife and now heavily dependent on drugs and alcohol to get through the day. Dad convinces her to follow her dreams. But, as with many dreams, they don't always come true.

I think what made this film so enjoyable to me is that it is the finished product of a "Community Project." As with his previous films, "The Looking Glass" and "A Piece of Eden," director Hancock and crew prove that not all the talent in the world resides in Hollywood. From his headquarters in Indiana he has put together some amazing local talent and their freshness and enthusiasm fill the screen. The performances are strong, the songs are catchy and the countryside is beautiful. Hancock has always been at his best when tackling "real life." His camera seems to give you a look into the hearts of the characters, giving the viewer an emotional attachment to what they are seeing.

This time of year usually signals the beginning to the upcoming summer movie season, filling theatres with loud, multi-million dollar extravaganzas. "The Girls of Summer" is a welcome respite from those films.

I am not great at reviews without giving it away, just watch you will be glad you did!

Can't understand some of these reviews. I enjoyed the movie, plot, singing and music. Great way to spend a rainy afternoon.