Summer should be the time of any kid’s life. No school, no responsibilities, and an endless amount of time to spend with friends. However, fourteen year old Griffin (Everett Blunck) sees it as an endless amount of time to work on his stage production “Regrets of Autumn.” With the help of his friends, including director Kara (Abby Ryder Fortson), his ambitious goal to finish writing his play and get it on stage consumes him.
When his mother (Melanie Lynskey) hires a handyman Brad (Owen Teague) to help around the house while Griffin’s father is away, unexpected feelings begin to bubble up inside Griffin in this coming of age film about love, growing up, and theater. Although Griffin in Summer plays by the same beats throughout, there is a simple charm to Colia’s film that is lovable and comedic.
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The most delightful part of Griffin in Summer is watching Everett Blunck and Owen Teague’s scenes together. It is so easy to watch Griffin’s blossoming feelings for Brad develop in a sweet, first love sort of nature that anybody will be able to connect with. We all had that babysitter, older neighbor, or best friend’s brother/sister we looked at at a young age with stars in our eyes. Seeing Griffin exhibit puppy dog characteristics anytime he has a conversation with Brad is awkwardly endearing to watch.
The film struggles with its lead and co-star dynamic where Owen Teague and Abby Ryder Fortson outshine Blunck’s character and anytime we are not watching Griffin on screen with one of them, the shtick gets a little stale when it comes to his overbearing personality. Yes, Griffin is a young boy trying to figure out where he fits in a world, which is why his scenes with his costars are the saving grace to the film.
It seems on the surface the film focuses a lot on Griffin’s theatrical interests and endeavors but Griffin in Summer isn’t really a “theater kid” film. Theater just happens to be the outlet Griffin uses to process his broken family at home, that his mother tries to hide from him even if he is more aware than she believes. His father is constantly out of the house and having affairs with other women, we discover.
This prompts the subject matter of Regrets of Autumn that Colia is able to display as Griffin’s family situation unravels, seeing the parallels between the two. The film also exhibits a bond between two people in different stages in their lives and how Griffin and Brad’s unlikely “friendship” develops. Brad, a struggling artist from New York City, and Griffin, an artist who hasn’t even gotten his break yet outside of his Mom’s basement, are able to form an atypical bond that gives them both the push they need to change their charted courses they found themselves both stuck in. Their relationship on screen is innocent, calling for comedic moments that work better when they can play off of one another.
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Although coming of age films typically focus on first loves, heartbreaks, or lessons learned along the way, Griffin in Summer utilized its title character as an “antihero” of sorts, treating his friends and family as if they are below him at times. The biggest coming of age moment in the film comes from Griffin learning to step outside himself to acknowledge the love he has from his friends around him when he puts his ego aside. This can be a hard truth, especially for Griffin who feels like he has enough on his plate as it is.
The film feels more subtle than most coming of age movies in that it isn’t melodramatic but knows how to have fun with its own premise, even if at times it can get tiresome. An enjoyable film that is able to explore a type of character generally hidden in the genre with a lovable performance by Owen Teague.
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