The Kings Of Summer Review

Three teenagers abscond from their oppressive, troubled homes and build a ramshackle cabin in the woods in this latter day Stand By Me. Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ debut, a Sundance hit, is as ragged round the edges as a pair of beach shorts after a long hot summer and despite being often very funny the adults (including Parks & Recreation’s Nick Offerman) and kids seem occasionally to be acting in entirely different films. But it features a troika of instantly likeable, utterly believable performances (Gabriel Basso as odd kid Biaggio is standout) and has enough honest charm to excuse the bumpy screenplay and occasionally uncertain direction.