Big Boys (2023) User Reviews

Realizing who you are

[chong_an · 8/10 · 1 June 2023]

16-year-old Jamie loves cooking, is overweight rather than athletic, and physically self-conscious. He is going on a weekend camping trip with his older brother Will, and his favorite cousin Allie, but is bummed when he learns that Allie's new boyfriend Dan is coming along, cutting into his alone time with her.

However, Dan is kind to Jamie. They bond over cooking, and when they pair up in a word guessing game, with Dan names their team the "Big Boys". While Will is chasing after a girl from another campsite, and trying to get Jamie to lose his virginity with her sister, Jamie is not interested, and has fantasy dreams of being older and meeting Dan in the shower room.

Next day, the quartet goes on a hike in the woods While Allie and Will decide to take a shortcut back to camp, Jamie insists of following Dan on a longer route, where Jamie (a) gets a spontaneous erection, and (b) falls and scrapes his knee, upon which Dan uses his T-shirt as a bandage.

This is an interesting version of a coming-of-age story, of realizing to yourself who you are. The one problem in the story is that Jamie has been the laggard on the hike, and so it would not seem probable that Dan would take him on the longer route.

Really Great

[martimusross · 7/10 · 10 July 2023]

Big Boys

This was an excellent portrayal of inner insecurities of a 14 year old boy, they were pretty much the same as any teenager with the added complexities of same sex attraction. The camping trip crystallised his understanding of himself as he developed a crush on his cousins boyfriend.

The script was crisp and not overly contrived, the acting was believable and you-invested time in the characters as they were well played and well drawn.

This movie was quite a gem, the editing, music and camera work was great.

Whilst this was a very small story, with little travel I enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm giving this a firm 7 outta 10.

Relevant, smart and heartfelt coming-of-age film

[michelleroca · 10/10 · 28 June 2023]

So glad I caught this film at the Bentonville Film Festival. I was blown away.

Director Corey Sherman does a brilliant job balancing the all too familiar warmth and laugh-out-loud comedy of growing up. Focusing on real teenage situations, he taps into magic early in the film, inviting the audience to fall in love with the characters through fun dialogue and relatable family moments. The attention to detail on screen and incredible acting performances contribute to the subtle uniqueness of the movie, which effortlessly navigates deeply personal subject matter with ease and humor.

Excited for more of our youth (and their parents!) to get a chance to watch this movie. Not only a fun watch, but a very important one.