Movie Review - Hot Summer Nights

In 2013, Elijah Bynum's script made the Black List. The Black List is an annual survey of the "most liked" screenplays that haven't yet been produced. The Black List is published every year in December online. It's been published since 2005 and Bynum is notable because he's one of the few African-American writers to be singled out on the Black List, despite the fact that the creator of the Black List is Franklin Leonard, an African-American himself. Most likely, the people voting for the Black List don't know the race or necessarily the ethnicity of the writers. Most likely, the people voting do so based on the screenplays alone. I'm not impugning any racism, but the lack of that kind of representation does seem endemic of the racial disparity in Hollywood.

It's also notable to see Bynum direct his own screenplay making him an up-and-coming, black filmmaker who made his debut feature while being under the age of 30. While I appreciate Bynum as a young black man making the list, I fail to see what was so great about his screenplay that would put it on the list at all. Based on what the movie now is, it's a rushed, coming-of-age story. It's 90's nostalgia without any real commentary or perspective. It's typical male friendship exploration without any new interpretations or that much depth. It doesn't really pass the Bechdel test. It does have a fairly decent sense of place and it perhaps captures the color or feel of Cape Cod twenty years ago, but that's only somewhat effective.

Timothée Chalamet stars as Daniel Middleton, an asthmatic kid who goes to live in Cape Cod in the summer of 1991 after his father dies. He's a bit of a loner. He doesn't really make friends easily. He has a job at a gas station. He's content or else resigned to waste the summer away at this job until he meets the local drug dealer with whom he befriends by helping him in a pinch.

This movie was filmed in 2015. It premiered in 2017 but didn't get released until 2018. It does so in the wake of Chalamet's Oscar nomination for his role in Call Me By Your Name. Obviously, Bynum couldn't have known that Chalamet's star-power would exponentially rise because of that queer film, but the success of that gay romance perhaps laid out some expectations. On the DVD commentary, Bynum admits that he had some homoerotic undertones, which I certainly ascertained when Daniel first meets the movie's other, major, male character.

Alex Roe (The 5th Wave and Forever My Girl) co-stars as Hunter Strawberry, a legendary drug dealer and the coolest kid in the area. He sells small amounts of marijuana as he avoids the town's police. He's estranged from his family because he sells drugs. He does work as a mechanic in a small garage, but he comes across as a bit of a loner too, even though he can breeze in and out of parties and be warmly welcomed by everyone. He does bond and befriend Daniel fairly easily though. He does have a bit of temper and can be violent, which is never explained. His violence is probably just an outgrowth of being in and out of prison and his drug dealing requiring it somewhat.

However, when Daniel first sees Hunter, Bynum films it as if Daniel is seeing the love of his life. The way Daniel attaches himself to Hunter and fawns over him would almost suggest that he desires him in a way that Chalamet's character in Call Me By Your Name desires Armie Hammer's character. That could have been an interesting take on their relationship, but whatever desire or attraction that Daniel might have, and it didn't have to be sexual, isn't really delved as best as it could have been.

The film instead decides to give Hunter a girlfriend named Amy, played by Maia Mitchell (The Fosters), which ultimately is pointless. Yes, Amy is the daughter of the police sergeant who is very suspicious of Hunter. Bynum's film never really does anything dramatically interesting with that aspect. It felt like a waste when the real relationship with a woman that should have gotten more attention is the relationship between Hunter and his sister.

Maika Monroe (It Follows and The Guest) also co-stars as McKayla, the sister of Hunter. She hasn't talked to her brother since their mother died. Their mother told Hunter to stop selling drugs and he didn't. She's making plans to leave town, but her inner life and what she wants to do when and if she does leave isn't really explored. Instead, she exists mainly to be the object of desire of all the boys in the town. A line of narration says that McKayla is the girl that every guy wanted to be the inspiration for their masturbation. Monroe's performance tries to do more than that in a few scenes that afford her the opportunity, but it's not enough.

Emory Cohen (The Place Beyond the Pines and Brooklyn) has a small role as an even tougher drug dealer selling harder drugs than marijuana. His presence in the film injects some life and danger into the narrative that the movie otherwise lacks.

Rated R for drug content, language, sexual references and strong violence.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 47 mins.