"Hot Summer Nights" (2018) Review

“Hot Summer Nights”: an ultra-stylish, yet mediocre summer indie flick.

Directed by: Elijah Bynum

Rated: R

Runtime: 2:00

Review by: Livi Edmonson

Recent Academy award nominee and arguably young Hollywood’s greatest actor, Timothèe Chalamet leads “Hot Summer Nights” as Daniel: an awkward and lanky teenager who is sent to spend the summer with his Aunt in Cape Cod, Massachusetts after his father passes. Daniel describes the act of being sent away for a summer in the ‘90’s as “cliché” and in a way, it really is, giving the film’s plot a nostalgic vibe of older, more classic stories, that audiences know and love. 

While in Cape Cod for the summer, Daniel tries to lay low and fit in but soon finds himself fitting in with the wrong people. Well, one person in particular: Hunter Strawberry (Alex Roe)- the town’s number one bad guy and top drug dealer. After working closely with Hunter and eventually becoming a true companion of his, Daniel finds himself falling for his younger sister, McKayla Strawberry, who is the town’s beloved it-girl. Talk about a powerhouse sibling duo, am I right? 

 

Daniel must find a way to keep a steady relationship with both of the Strawberry kids but soon finds himself in a position where he has to choose between the two. Oh, and it’s called “Hot Summer Nights” for a reason: it’s scorching hot and a storm that will “blow everyone to the ground” is about to hit Cape Cod. “Hurricane Bob” in 1991 seems to be the real-life storm/incident that film is referring to.

I can’t say that I hated “Hot Summer Nights”, nor can I say that I loved it. If you’re a Timothèe Chalamet fan, like most humans of my generation, then you will probably watch it only for him and honestly enjoy yourself for the most part. I know that’s how I felt. He carries the entire film and this a character that is not only perfect for his personality, but also one that fans will love getting to see him play. However, everything else about the film besides Chalamet’s performance and the pretty interesting, eclectic script by Elijah Bynum, is just “meh”. 

Every summer, for the past few years, there has been a violently original film released to smaller, more independent theaters and eventually released to theaters everywhere. This type of flick last year was Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” (2017) and this year it is Elijah Bynum’s “Hot Summer Nights”. Though the two films are extremely different, the good-guy turned criminal, yet still innocent protagonist, is still present and in the center of both plots. However, the main similarities to be noted are the vibrant cinematography and retro soundtracks that both of the flicks include.  Basically, if you are a fan of 2017’s “Baby Driver” with all of its loveable but sometimes gory pizazz, then you will probably thoroughly enjoy yourself at “Hot Summer Nights”. Although, don’t expect it to be on the same level of greatness as “Baby Driver” because it definitely is not. If anything, it is a knockoff of the film that is cool to experience once, but probably not ever again.

I remember hearing about the film’s release awhile back, 2016 to be exact. I was intrigued by the storyline, as well as the casting. But after hearing about it, all of the hype behind the film seemed to die down. Then, Timothèe Chalamet started to gain critical acclaim in late 2017 for his work in the two Oscar nominated flicks, “Call Me by Your Name” and “Lady Bird”, and boom! The trailer for “Hot Summer Nights” finally comes out and the film gets a real release date.

 This situation just goes to show you that this film probably wouldn’t have even made it past its film festival premiere and in to the theaters if it wasn’t for the success of Chalamet’s most recent work and that is honestly kind of sad. Yes, the film isn’t spectacular, but it is, in many ways, charming and at least original. Independent films used to be a foreign subject to most movie-goers because they were so “different” and now we are starting to see certain generic plot trends in them that audiences definitely shouldn’t being seeing. 

Perhaps, “Hot Summer Nights” was kind of a fail in terms of summer box office hits and the upcoming awards season, but at least it is a type of film we, as critics and audience members are not used to seeing and that is a positive. Therefore, to all my fellow filmmakers: go out and make a movie that people have never seen before. The world is in need of originality more than ever.