Summerhood

This movie instantly transported me back to those long, sticky summer days of my childhood - the kind where time felt endless, friendships felt unshakable, and every adventure seemed like the most important thing in the world. The humor is goofy but genuine, the characters feel like kids you actually knew, and the little moments hit way harder than you'd expect. Honestly, it's the kind of film I find myself rewatching every now and then, just to relive that mix of innocence, chaos, and pure joy.

I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.

What a wonderful film, so much fun and entertaining. It's the basic story of children at a summer camp and how they spend their time there. But the cast is just so great, it's obvious everyone was having a blast making it.

The film stars Lucian Masel as Fetus, a little kid at camp who has a crush on Sundae (Reva Timbers) one of the girls there. It focuses on Fetus and the rest of the kids from his cabin as they go through crazy antics and adventures and trying to avoid getting caught by the camp Assistant Director (Christopher McDonald in a great performance).

There were just so many fun moments throughout this film, all of the characters were great, with their hysterical names and personalities (Fetus, Reckless, Careless, Grandpa, The Raincoat Kid). And the dialogue sounds like what the kids would actually say and not like it was just written for them. Oh, and the soundtrack was just perfect, great uses of songs and perfectly placed during each of the scenes.

This film was one of the best at the festival. Actor Scott Beaudin who played Reckless was at the screening for a Q&A and he told some nice stories about the making of the film and how all of the cast had a great time working on it. I hope to see many of these young actors in future projects.

Narrated by John Cusack, Summerhood is an extremely entertaining comedy that's another wonderful addition to the summer camp comedies. Everyone should check this film out.

An absolute gem of a film that perfectly captures the joy and quirks of summer camp life. Every scene feels authentic, the humor is on point, and the emotional beats hit hard. It's criminal how overlooked it is-definitely one of the best summer camp stories ever put on screen, and one I'll be rewatching for years.

Summerhood is a nostalgic gem that masterfully blends sharp humor with heartfelt, touching moments. Through its playful and often irreverent take on childhood adventures, it captures the innocence, mischief, and awkwardness of growing up. With witty dialogue, endearing characters, and a lighthearted tone, it offers the perfect mix of laughs and warmth, leaving you smiling, reflecting, and feeling that cozy glow of summertime memories.

While this is one of those feel good movies involving young children, this is a more earnest and, to a vast extent, less cliché, than other movies of its kind. The dialog is less refined, and just something that would be expected to be uttered by kids in real life.

The performances by the kids were adequate. I didn't feel that one stood out more than the other, as it seemed that the director was content to let the story take the main stage. Even though the movie's essentially about Fetus and his epiphanies at the summer camp it didn't really focus on Fetus all the time. Rather, it meandered away from him, and I feel that this is where a flaw occurred. There was no proper focus so I couldn't really connect with Fetus at times. Thankfully, his attraction towards Sundae was not one of those moments, though sadly it wasn't properly developed. Some of the dialog was muffled and didn't make sense in tying it to the story.

Having said that Summerhood is still a movie worth watching. There are some laugh aloud moments, some poignant moments, and some moments that will make you reflect about your best summer, or your first kiss, or when life really began for you. Don't let this movie pass you by.