Hot Summer Nights (2017) User Reviews

It's not perfect!

[CreativeSpark · 7/10 · 1 August 2018]

Tonight I choose to check this film out. Honestly, anything A24 releases is always good! That said, I really liked this film. However, it's not perfect. I really didn't understand the main characters initial motivation for why he was doing, what he was doing, girl aside. His thirsty choices didn't really make much sense to me.

However, on the technical aspect of the movie. I really loved the flow of the film and the editing. Also, the soundtrack is sweet! the cinematography, colour, and acting was spot on. This is a film I would still recommend and would give it another watch even with the minor flaws. Because it's entertaining and has a real summer nostalgic, crime, a dark coming of age feel to it.

I'd give this a 7 out of 10.

Sand dunes, salty air, and drugs

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 16 September 2018]

I guess you could be forgiven if you thought everyone on the Cape Cod peninaula was toking up after seeing Hot Summer Nights. It seems to be more popular than salt water activities.

After the death of his dad young Timothee Chalamet is sent off to spend summer in Cape Cod with his aunt who is not keeping too tight a rein on him. This innocent kid gets a growing up more than he bargained for with sex, drugs and a bit of rock and roll thrown in.

Sometimes simple acts can decide our future. Like when Chalamet is working behind the counter at a gas station convenience store and in walks Alex Roe who asks to quick hide some drugs and money before the cop who is trailing him comes in. Without thinking he does and soon he's in with Cape Cod's legendary bad boy.

Timothee Chalamet and Maika Monroe are good in their parts, Monroe playing Roe's sister and love object for Chalamet. But you riveted to the screen when Roe is on. He reminds me a lot of Christian Bale another British actor who as a great command of various American accents. Roe has a James Dean like presence on the screen.

It's good and it's not so good for the strangest of partners. I did like the use of a kid narrator for the film. He's just another of the native kids who is almost worshipful to Roe.

Can't say more, but I think the viewer will be surprised at how in the end this trio is where they are.

Hot and steamy

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 30 June 2021]

Well not exactly ... although with Timothy seems to like summer movies. In this one he is into girls though. And some other (illegal) stuff of course too. Very well shot and with quite the interesting cast. Maika is as mesmerizing as ever ... but you also get a few other bit players who do an excellent job.

A drama that evolves on many things and while I would never go or do the things the main character does here, I can more than appreciate the movie and have fun with it. A really good soundtrack .. that helps the spiral go faster and faster ... but you'll see for yourself.

A romanticized Summer compilation with some depth

[adamb-49813 · 6/10 · 8 May 2020]

Enjoyable coming of age/crime flick probably most suited to a younger audience. The story telling was lazy with lots of jump cuts, kind of like a highlight reel of the ups and downs of Danny's summer. You really don't see any relationships develop or get to know any characters in depth. The whole movie is more like a romanticized compilation showing only start and the end of the journey with no middle. That said it started out very superficial and over the top but ended surprisingly heavy and went against a few of my expectations.

Hot Summer Nights (2018)

[rockman182 · 6/10 · 4 July 2018]

This film should have everything going for it. A coming of age film featuring two of the hottest young leads of today. An 80's feel and vibe that should have made it a hit with people who like to feel that wave. It should really have been a film that I could enjoy. Unfortunately, I felt like Hot Summer Nights just got weaker as time went on and falls into genre cliches and fails to impress all around. Side note, Maika Monroe has my heart, good lord.

The film is about a kid in cape cod who links up with a rather aggressive friend who then decide to sell drugs and make good bank of off it. Along the way the lead Daniel Middleton, (Timothee Chalamet) falls in love with his partners sister (Maika Monroe). This causes waves as any type of relationship with her is strictly forbidden in her brothers eyes. Daniel has to balance his relationship and also deal with the dangers that arise in the risky business he finds himself in.

The film is well acted all around. Chalamet is obviously one of the top young actors going around. Maike Monroe is a nice talent that is emerging in these niche type creative horror films (she's also absolutely smokin' in this film as well). The two leads interaction and relationship is nice to watch but its ruined by a film that is high on nostalgic cliches and a typically 80's soundtrack and mood that feels meshed in in a not so subtle manner. There's just no creativity with this effort, it becomes a "been there seen that" type coming of age film that gets even more unimpressive as it goes along.

I was actually really looking forward to this film because it just had the marketing, vibe, and cast that should have made this film one of the best of the summer. Unfortunately, it fails to stir up any good feelings, isn't paced well, and fades away without a second thought. I mean just look at that film poster, how do you fail that? The film truly exemplifies the worst parts of hot summer nights; sticky and gross.

6/10

Hot summer Nights

[baileywiley · 7/10 · 4 July 2018]

This coming-to-age film starring some pretty decent talent with the likes of Maika Monroe and Thomas Jane, is about a boy who becomes entangled in a world of drugs, money, and corruption during one summer in Cape Cod, now going into this movie I saw nothing but the one trailer that was released of my knowledge, and was pretty much stoked. I'm a big fan of these underground goodies not enough people talk about, also the sheer fact you had the likes of Maika (It follows), which was reason enough to get me to watch it because that was a great film, and i was throughly surprised not only with the films setting, and plot. This film has great cinematography and a all around 80's feel to it from the clothes that these kids wear all the way to the drive in movie theater. And performance from all the cast is quite well from a Timothy who did well playing a shy, awkward kid. To Thomas Jane's Odd Cop role. It's a movie that I'll reconsider watching again, maybe even owning on blu Ray. Because the rewatchability is there

Story told well, but without purpose.

[gpcheng87 · 6/10 · 15 January 2021]

5 for meandering story with no meaningful ending, 6 for the acting; everyone did well. Beautifully shot. Great soundtrack. Basically, this movie is probably what happens when you bump into an old acquaintance and they're like, "Oh, hey, did you hear about that guy from wherever from way back when? Well, let me tell you..." The friend launches into a long-winded story that you end up listening to over beers and smokes and at the end, they finish with, "...and no one knows, bro. It's anyone's guess." You're left heading home wondering if that was a waste of time - it was told well, but what was the point? There wasn't a lesson, or resolution, or even an opinion/point made. For me, this immediately seemed like an attempt at a version of "The Virgin Suicides" (1999). Entertaining enough; worth a watch.

A '90s-esque coming of age story goes dark

[kjproulx · 9/10 · 28 July 2018]

When a story focuses on a central character coming of age, I'm immediately hooked. With the addition of the backdrop of the film being set in the 90s, that only added to my excitement. Hot Summer Nights is one of A24's latest distributions and this studio has had quite the track record over the last few years. Personally, I believe this film will be one of their most polarizing releases of 2018, but I think it's a fantastic little indie gem. If you enjoy stories of an innocent youngster who gets swept up in something they think they can handle but really is about to ruin their life, then this film is absolutely something I would recommend to you. Here's why I highly recommend Hot Summer Nights, but also why that recommendation may come with an asterisk for some viewers.

Following Daniel (Timothée Chalamet) as he spends his scorching hot summer in Cape Cod, he finds himself caught up in drug dealing, an unlikely relationship, and no way out of either. Both of those things find a relation to each other and spiral into an overall film that feels like a fun 90s flick, meshed with the harsh realities of underground drug deals. The premise of this film is what truly hooked me and although the storytelling itself is quite conventional, the execution kind of blew me away. From the performances to the surprises, Hot Summer Nights is a film that doesn't let up, even with its slow pacing.

Timothée Chalamet continues to prove himself as an actor and this role is nothing short of superb. Even if this film isn't for you, I have a feeling you'd still praise him in this role. His performance, along with his chemistry with both Maika Monroe (who is also as fantastic as she always is) and Alex Roe is simply electric. From the subtleties he brings to this character, to the raw and unnerving outbursts in certain sequences, Chalamet creates one of the most memorable characters of the year, in my opinion. If you're able to enjoy a film by the core performance alone, then I think you'll love this film as I did. Outside of this character, however, is where I fear some viewers may become uninterested or bored.

There are a lot of moments of characters just hanging out and spilling their life stories, but it works in the context of the film. There are some viewers who will absolutely find these conversations boring, but I was blown away by the performances, so that wasn't an issue for me. There are slow movies that I find boring, but when dialogue can drive it and make for an exciting, slow, yet dramatic experience, that's my kind of movie. So here's where I caution viewers. If you aren't willing to be swept up in a film that's filled with dialogue and not much excitement (for the majority at least), then I would look elsewhere, but personally, I think you'd be missing out.

In the end, Hot Summer Nights is easily one of my favourite movies so far in 2018. The dramatic tension between characters completely sucked me in. Chalamet leaps off the screen and the very solid writing and direction by first-time feature filmmaker Elijah Bynum is something worth noting as well. I will definitely be on the lookout for his next outing. Hot Summer Nights is a true story for the most part, but you can tell that things have probably been tweaked to make for a better film. This film will probably go unnoticed by most, and that's a shame. I loved my experience with this movie and I can't wait to revisit it.

Chalamet kinda almost save the movie

[jmnhy · 6/10 · 27 September 2018]

So, when i first saw the trailer i was honestly exited, so i told a friend about it and she put my expectations back on the ground again, and when i see it, well...

since the beginning the movie seems like the typical indie movie that try really hard to be cool, and it could be, but no, the acting is actually pretty good, there wasn't any bad acting on this, the problem are the characters, almost every single character have a lack of personality, they try to be relatable and introduce relationships just like that on the movie, i honestly felt that the romance was very forced like it was meant to be just for the style of the movie, i don't have any complain about the editing of the movie there was people that felt that it was a problem but i feel that it makes it kinda less boring (yes, because in some point the movie turns very predictable and boring) it has a great palette, and the music is everything.

I feel like the movie could be something, but the script and the direction made it very edgy and predictable.

Stylish but shallow

[nehpetstephen · 4/10 · 1 September 2018]

If given some other writer's screenplay and a directive to restrain himself, director Elijah Bynum could probably make an excellent film. It's true that he blatantly rips off other directors here (Martin Scorsese and P.T. Anderson, most notably), but in doing so it's undeniable that he has proficiency and panache with a camera and, more importantly, a fine ability to work with actors. I'm sure he'll earn an opportunity to direct a second picture soon; although this movie was a critical failure, I can see this being a big hit with the teenagers it's clearly intended for.

The flaws of Hot Summer Nights all derive from its erratic screenplay, which is derivative, juvenile, and incredibly hollow. Bynum has chosen to have the film be narrated by a mostly unseen fringe character--a 13-year-old with a preternatural omniscience concerning the town's gossip. This narration is obnoxious and unnecessary--the best stretch of the movie is the 50 minutes or so where the narration disappears completely--and all it yields are unfunny riffs on sex that belittle the movie's female lead; an air of legendary, larger-than-life status that doesn't quite match the actual movie we're presented; and some incredibly trite observations about class consciousness in a New England tourist town.

That last one is worth thinking about for a moment. The film is introduced as a conflict between haves and have-nots, with townies opposed to summerbirds in a vein similar to Breaking Away or The Outsiders. We're shown preppily dressed vacationers with "white clothes and white teeth," and we're meant to focus on the advantages these privileged people have over our main characters. But the division as presented in this film never rises above mere cliquishness. There's no real material difference that's ever explored in any meaningful way--which is to say, even the "townies" seem pretty well-off to me.

That's one thread that never goes anywhere, but if you start pulling at that thread then the whole thing starts to unravel and you realize you've just got a pile of old rags that was temporarily gussied up to look like something more impressive. Bynum knows how to blend impressive camerawork, solid performances, and a fun soundtrack into something entertaining, but he's put extremely little effort into developing his characters or crafting a meaningful story. That's a shame because Timothée Chalamet, Maika Monroe, Emory Cohen, and the rest of the cast are all very talented and compelling young actors. They nearly succeed in making it seem as though their characters have plausible motivations and consistent personalities, when ultimately what's really going on here is that Bynum just wanted to remake Goodfellas with teenagers.

What drives Daniel Middleton? What does his father's death really have to do with anything? Why does he make the reckless decisions that he does in spite of sound advice to the contrary? What exactly is he trying to prove? What other paths are there for him in life? What other desires, interests, fears, and influences does he have? If you start trying to understand Daniel's character, you see that there's absolutely nothing beneath the surface. Likewise with McKayla. Hunter is given a sliver of nuance, but the action climax--which steals directly from Boogie Nights and Goodfellas--renders all of that moot. This is a movie in which the last word will be given to a 13-year-old speaking wistfully about his sex fantasies. Stand By Me this ain't.

SO MUCH MORE THAN I EXPECTED

[stskotty · 9/10 · 14 July 2018]

I wasn't necessarily excited about movie before watching it. I was expecting a sort of knock off of a coming of age comedy set in a specific time period, throw in some sex and music and you have a run of the mill flick I've seen versions of a hundred times before Let me assure you this is not that! What an absolutely unique, fun spin on an age old story The director takes this film to unexpected places and the 3 young lead actors are without a doubt the Hollywood A-list of tomorrow. If you are trying to decide if you want to watch this or something else do yourself a favor and watch Hot Summer Nights. It's completely different from what you think it will be in the best possible way

Exploitation of a fine actor in a trivial story

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 23 August 2018]

Timothée Chalamet is definitely among the new finest young actors (as e.g. River Phoenix was) and I think he is worth have an eye to him. Alas, obtaining fame does not come from profound works only; for wider audience, one should appear in movies dealing with more "timeless" topics, often providing "been there, seen that" feelings. So is Hot Summer Nights where coming of age, drugs, partying, love and affection, etc. are depicted in a rather lopsided manner, from the perspective of the young only, raising questions e.g. Where were the police and relatives, how could such a drug business could be unseen? The inevitable solution came too abruptly, and the ending could have been more sophisticated as well.

But regarding strengths, apart from a good male lead, there is a compatible soundtrack, good capture of the era (partly coinciding with my youth), and 2 distinct supporting performances (Emory Cohen as Dex, William Fichtner as Shep). Thus, bearing in mind that I not in its target audience either, I can still rate it with 7 points, being confident that present teens and teens leading a life "on the edge" in the 1990ies might find Hot Summer Nights appealing.

Watchable, great music and visuals, terrible plot.

[wiredarp · 5/10 · 18 December 2019]

Its a very stylish movie, sort of like Baby Driver was. The visuals are great, and the choice of music is inspired. However, the plot makes the plot of Baby Driver look like Tolstoy.

There's a buddy friendship that goes nowhere. A hot chick. A couple of drug dealers and incidental characters - and that's pretty much the movie.

I can understand people rating it highly on appearance, but thats all there is to this movie. Its perfectly tailored to give the illusion of depth, when it really has none at all.Its sad, because it has all the elements for a decent plot, but it seems that was simply not a high priority for the movie.

One of the best movies I've ever seen!

[mdwestmark · 27 September 2017]

I was lucky enough to catch this film at SXSW this year, and was blown away by every aspect of it. It's perhaps one of the most stylish and confident directorial debuts I've ever seen- director Elijah Bynum and his collaborators are firing on all cylinders here with beautiful cinematography, a knockout script that isn't afraid to slow down for thoughtful, character-driven moments, and stellar acting across the board.

Timothee Chalamet is the obvious standout here, and his transition from innocence to intimidating criminality is believable and chilling. Bynum has a sense for the cinematic "moment"- two characters sharing a lollipop in a convenience store in an extreme close-up, for example- that brings to mind the works of some of cinema's greatest directors. In conjunction with all this is a dynamite soundtrack and a unique sense of style that I look forward to seeing more of in Bynum's future work.

well....

[fimleikastjarna · 7/10 · 14 May 2020]

As a newly made fan of Timotheé Chalamet I would definitely recommend this movie. He is for sure great, and cute as always. I had a stupid grin on my face for the first half of the movie. It was funny, quirky and stylish. Beautiful actors, great soundtrack and bright colors. The typical "start dealing drugs and riding the high of money, partying and hot girls" trope was obvious but I forgave it because of how nicely it was represented in photographs. After the half way point I got more and more disappointed with one cliche after another. Then it just ended and left me feeling like there was a great vision there that just got lost and no one knew what to do with the story that they wanted to tell.

Luke Warm Summer Nights

[jonesama-429-85018 · 6/10 · 20 October 2020]

Plot - 5/10 Cinematography - 7/10 Score - 8/10 Acting - 6/10 Favourite performance - Chamalet although not entirely a stand out Favourite moment - Like the performances there was nothing stand out but I did enjoy the cliche scene towards the beginning when Chamalet helped to hide the drugs at the store

Overall - 6/10

Timothee Chalamet can make any film watchable

[deanjcooper · 6/10 · 1 February 2021]

I expected more..... regardless Timothee Chalamet is such a great actor you just wish he was in every film.

Not Perfect but a great watch

[catfanatic888 · 7/10 · 1 January 2023]

First of all, Timothee Chalamet is SO talented that I would watch him read a phone book for 90 minutes and enjoy it. That said, this was a very good turn for the baby-faced star. He is so versatile that he can play just about any role believably. His co-stars were all excellent too especially his leading lady. I wasn't familiar with her from other roles but she was a terrific rising star for sure. The chemistry between them was undeniable. His character was a naive loner at the beginning but that quickly changed while getting mixed up with some other peers who got him in a bit deeper than he had planned. The music and clothing style really brought me back. I think most people would would get a kick out of this.

Not your usual coming of age story

[oaksong · 9/10 · 19 March 2017]

Daniel is bright but probably not given enough work to keep him interested in school. Summer's about to start and his mother decides to send him to live with her sister on the coast. He falls in with a crowd that isn't that ambitious and decides to raise the level of play, so to speak.

Tim Chalamet as Daniel brings a sweetness and innocence to the story that makes it very believable. Daniel has no idea what he's gotten himself into and how very nasty that world can be. A girl who would normally be out of his league flirts with him as a joke, which he takes seriously having no real social experiences, and this leads to more trouble.

It's good to know, and hard to learn, what parts of life can be taken lightly and when things need to be taken seriously.

Such a unjustified marketing around the film

[fancanelokristina015 · 6/10 · 21 November 2020]

Totally disappointed. Boring, slow, without actual storyline, and if there's one it's a terrible cliche. Timmy tried to do something with his character, and he is only one who seemed that is trying, everyone else is so damn close that can be more, but can't do anything with their roles. Such a marketing about the movie, and manly people watched because of Timmy, and unfortunately the movie is just bad and shallow. It's not that much problem with the scenes, shots, camera work, how much is with uninteresting story and bad script.

A movie that thinks it's cool

[injury-65447 · 4/10 · 25 July 2022]

This movie was annoying. It is smug, strutting and stylish. It thinks it's incredibly cool but actually it is boring, basic and derivative. Definitely style over substance.

The friendship between Hunter & Daniel isn't very believable, nor is it developed well. Actually we pretty much know NOTHING at all about Daniel's character or what drives him for the entire movie.

For a movie that's meant to be about drug dealing we don't really see any drug dealing or get to know anything about it. It's just like poof magical money. Why even include the drug element of the film if you're not going to do anything with it?

I really hated the unnecessary narration by the mystery 13 year old. Trying to trick us into thinking that the movie is so "epic". Very very obnoxious! Is this the only way to convince the audience of the female lead's supposed superpowers of sexual magnetism? Or of Hunter's bad boy credentials? Yes, because actually looking at them she is quite plain and he is soft as butter.

Awesome!

[Darth_Osmosis · 8/10 · 25 July 2018]

It's hard to describe or categorize.. but maybe something like if you mixed together an offbeat coming of age tale, teenage crime drama and a love story.. set it in the early 90s and gave it a sublime soundtrack! It's intense and oozes style, seriously it's great go see it!

Fun but not very engaging

[mahoganyheartlennon · 6/10 · 28 August 2018]

I'm rating it a 6 and I'm being generous here. This movie was recommended to me by a friend who's very much into 80's/90's visuals and themes and especially interested in vapor/synthwave. I was expecting a lot more of it - but nonetheless it did deliver its promised dose of nostalgia. I wasn't even born in 1991 and I got a weird feeling from this movie which kind of went against everything I've read and seen from that time period - while it was set in the early 90's, it definitely gave me more of a 50's vibe. That was weird but I accepted it.

This movie is a visual treat for all of those interested in the art of cinematography and photography. Amazing colours, very cool action sequences, the night scenes were especially rich and intense. It feels like a giant videoclip with very cinematic moments accompanied by a carefully chosen soundtrack. But I will say the music distracted me a lot from the action. Since this is more of a subtle type of coming-of-age, you have to pay attention to what the characters are saying, feeling and expressing. A lot of the times it felt like the characters were doing things just for the coolness of it - badass car rides with badass music, beating people up, doing drugs, it felt cheap and predictable. And not just that - the constant use of music makes this movie a very confusing ride for me, one which I didn't particularly enjoy. I wanted to know more about the characters, their motivations, their dreams. Timothee does a good job portraying Daniel but unfortunately I just think the character wasn't very well written. You don't really get a glimpse into his teenage mind - all you see is him posturing as some kind of wannabe drug dealer wanting to look tough and mature. I suppose it has its charm, but he didn't win me over as the lead.

One thing I should underline is the amazing sequence with the fireworks at the fair when he walks up to McKayla and kisses her, with Space Oddity playing in the background. That was a very intense and well done scene, and for the most memorable in the whole movie, on par with the lollipop scene in the store... That was... probably the hottest thing I've seen in a while. Props to the camera work.

As for the other characters, I liked McKayla but didn't fall head over heels for her like the kid in the voice-over says everyone did. I'm not bashing the actress, I think she's pretty and most of all she gives McKayla that quality of unattainableness that makes the boys dream about her, as well as giving her an attitude typical of girls who know they make heads turn. But overall I think her character could have been more developed. At certain times she came across as a standard Manic Pixie Dream Girl (that's just my opinion tho).

If you're into the seemingly glamorous world of teenage drug-dealing, good visuals, nostalgic songs from the 70's, 80's and 90's, and Timothee Chalamet then go watch this movie. But if you're looking for something to wrack your brain and make you reflect and contemplate your life, I don't think this is it.

Had Potential

[westsideschl · 5/10 · 6 October 2018]

Small town local young heartthrob Cannabis seller teams up w/nerdy reject to expand his business. Nerd ends up over his head while also chasing the local female femme fatale. Acting was good; backdrop tunes were OK for the '90s setup. Problems: A lot of wasted time on scenes that didn't contribute, i.e. overhead shots of a beach as well as a hurricane, and the sense of it being a hot Summer, none played a role in the story. In fact the hurricane, Bob, technically was a bust for a hurricane. A lot of the important character background was written & edited poorly, just sporadic bits here & there which made the story flow disruptive & confusing. Drug scenes, and party scenes were all pretty predictable. Major problem: The ending for all major characters went no where, and the death which occurs towards the end, could have been prevented knowing it's coming, and they have a gun. Didn't make any sense.

Dreadful

[barrybowe · 23 March 2021]

At first I blamed two people - the writer & the director - then I found out it was the same person.