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'The Kings of Summer' sinks into a cliché coming-of-age story

( R ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'The Kings of Summer' was a Sundance favorite but is an all-too-familiar story. 'The Kings of Summer' stars Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and Moises Arias.

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Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
'The Kings of Summer' stars actor Gabriel Basso.
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Coming-of-age movies are not my favorite genre, mainly because most are retreads made by filmmakers who came of age all too long ago. Sundance fave “The Kings of Summer,” directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and written by Chris Galletta, has some vitality, but it sinks into cliché just the same.

Three teenage friends, played by Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and Moises Arias, decide to declare their independence and build a summer house in the woods and live off the land. Thoreau would not have been very impressed, I think. Grade: C+ (Rated R for language and some teen drinking.)

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