Does the movie American Summer accurately and actually portray and American summer?
I do believe the movie was aptly named. As this was the story of an American summer; kids playing baseball, pool parties, biking around town, summer jobs, beach gatherings, first love - it truly did reflect what goes on in summer. As the movie was made in New Jersey and I'm a Jersey Girl (also my kids played summer travel ball and my dad was in the army) I would say writer/director/producer Michael W. Gray captured the geographical area and the nostalgia. This very well could have been a summer around here many years ago, or even now (sans phones), or anywhere in America.
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| At the NJ Premiere in Westwood, NJ |
What I liked most about the movie was that it was intended to be a movie that could be watched by the whole family - without any eye or ear covering for the children - and as a parent to have a movie without any of those cringe moments is as refreshing as a glass of cold lemonade during the summer. Michael W. Gray said in his intro at the NJ premiere that his intention was to make a movie that he could watch with his kids and he hit a home run in that regard.
In a nutshell, the story follows a teen boy, Mikey, (played by newcomer Logan Gray) in his quest to get on a summer travel team, all while navigating a father away serving the country, a lack of funds and the quest to figure out teenage girls. It is narrated with flashbacks - like The Wonder Years - by Adult Mikey on his porch (played by Steve Guttenberg). Michael W. Gray said that the movie was inspired by experiences in his life.
Another thing I liked about the movie was the cast. It was a mix of seasoned veteran professional actors like Steve Guttenberg, Dan Laurie and Christie Brinkley and Cullen Moss with a peppering off younger actors portraying the kids. The young lead actors, Logan Gray, Mia Talerico, Maximus Virgili were strong and I can see them progressing far in their careers. The ensemble of friend actors were also quite strong and rather loveable in portraying their characters.
An added bonus for me being a longtime Mets fan was that Lee Mazzilli played a coach in the movie and fit perfectly in that role. Luis Sojo was also in the movie. What a great casting choice to have actual baseball players in a movie about baseball. At the talkback at the NJ premiere, you can see that the movie drew in many baseball fans as several of the questions were specifically about baseball. It was also mentioned how Dan Laurie and Lee Mazzilli were friends and that they were thrilled to be able to work together in a movie.
American Summer is a great example of the genre of feel-good family movies that is gaining traction in the county right now, It is a story of family, friendship, relationships and also baseball and you can’t get much more American than baseball.
American Summer is the slice of apple pie we all need right now - sweet, comforting and nostalgic.
For the full cast visit: https://www.americansummermovie.com/
American Summer Movie is playing in theaters now. Distributed by Blue Harbor Entertainment.
At the NJ Premiere
The Crowd outside the Westwood Theater
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| Lee Mazzilli and friends |
Video: Lee Mazzilli and Dan Laurie Talk About How they Got their Roles
Video: Who does the cast and director say are their favorite ballplayers?
Video - Actor MaximusVirgili Talks About the Movie.