I really like coming of age films. Being a young adult at the time or writing this review, I can relate to them. It talks about growing up and how it can be tough. But sadly, this film was a mess for me.
At times, it tries to be a comedy, but feels kind of awkward. It almost comes across as a movie that could have been PG rated or even a kids movie, but throws in the F-bomb every now and then. The humour sometimes worked, because I had a few laughs, but it mostly came across as boring and stale. Other times the movie tries to be serious. There's a situation at the end that tries to be dramatic, but because of the weird tone of the film, I just don't feel it. It also includes moments that almost feel like it's trying to be an artsy independent film, or even a Terrence Malick film, because there's scenes where we see wildlife and people walking in fields. None of this works for me.
The performances by the kids were... interesting. The two main kids are good, but the one weird Italian kid did not work. He was trying to be comedic relief but he was an unoriginal stupid character. Nick Offerman plays one of the characters fathers, and honestly, I don't completely understand his appeal. He always plays the sarcastic guy, and it sometimes works in other films and even this one, but it just doesn't allow you to connect to his character, which I feel the film wanted you to do.
I really wanted this to be good, because it seemed interesting, but in the end it felt like a weird and cheesy kids movie that happens to have some swearing. I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe if I rewatched it another time, it might click, but I just didn't get that this time around.
At times, it tries to be a comedy, but feels kind of awkward. It almost comes across as a movie that could have been PG rated or even a kids movie, but throws in the F-bomb every now and then. The humour sometimes worked, because I had a few laughs, but it mostly came across as boring and stale. Other times the movie tries to be serious. There's a situation at the end that tries to be dramatic, but because of the weird tone of the film, I just don't feel it. It also includes moments that almost feel like it's trying to be an artsy independent film, or even a Terrence Malick film, because there's scenes where we see wildlife and people walking in fields. None of this works for me.
The performances by the kids were... interesting. The two main kids are good, but the one weird Italian kid did not work. He was trying to be comedic relief but he was an unoriginal stupid character. Nick Offerman plays one of the characters fathers, and honestly, I don't completely understand his appeal. He always plays the sarcastic guy, and it sometimes works in other films and even this one, but it just doesn't allow you to connect to his character, which I feel the film wanted you to do.
I really wanted this to be good, because it seemed interesting, but in the end it felt like a weird and cheesy kids movie that happens to have some swearing. I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe if I rewatched it another time, it might click, but I just didn't get that this time around.