The Perfect Summer (DVD) Review
Genre: Drama, Family
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“Sometimes you have to find the courage to make some waves.” The Perfect Summer is a story of a family in turmoil. After a tragic accident changed their lives forever, single mom Alyssa (played by Sydney Penny) uproots her life and that of her teenaged son as they move in with her father to make […]
“Sometimes you have to find the courage to make some waves.”
The Perfect Summer is a story of a family in turmoil. After a tragic accident changed their lives forever, single mom Alyssa (played by Sydney Penny) uproots her life and that of her teenaged son as they move in with her father to make a new start on their lives. The father, Lou, is played by Eric Roberts, who plays a likable old surfer dude with a spiritual vibe to perfection. Lou and Alyssa were estranged for much of her childhood, making this a new start for their relationship as well. As she works to make a place for herself, she has the challenges of finding a job and dealing with her guilt over her son to muddy the waters.
The movie centers mainly on the issues Alyssa’s seventeen year old son, Jake (Adam Horner), faces as he struggles to figure out his life and work through his sorrow. Being uprooted from his home in Chicago to move to a small beach town is a rough transition, but he finds a fast friend in surf shop owner Cody (Jason Castro), who lets slip a little secret about Jake’s grandfather that gives the surfing lessons the two have been working on a whole new meaning. The scenes depicting the lessons themselves have a little bit of Mr. Miyagi feel to them, with Lou having Jake perform a number of different tasks before ever touching the water.
The Perfect Summer has the typical characters you’d expect to see in a teen beach film. There’s Kayla, the cute and overwhelmingly sweet girl who has a troubled home life and a real gift on the waves. She and Jake hit it off right from the start, creating the inevitable (yet very tame) love interest. There’s also the town bully, Tyler (there’s always a town bully, isn’t there?). Tyler doesn’t take too kindly to Jake’s interest in Kayla, and he makes it known right from the start with a number of aggressive words and actions. That part feels a little contrived, mainly because there is no love interest mentioned, past or present, between Tyler and Kayla – so why would he bother beating someone up over her?
The Perfect Summer is a light watch that is perfectly safe for the whole family (although some children may find the few fight scenes a little distressing). While there is a bit of spirituality running through the film in terms of Lou’s frequent references of going to church, it’s really developed very little, and is not the main focus of the film. What you’ll get with The Perfect Summer is a film that is somewhat shallow and predictable, but is still an enjoyable watch for the whole family.