Griffin in Summer *** (2024, Everett Blunck, Owen Teague, Melanie Lynskey, Johanna Colón, Aurora Richards) – Classic Movie Review 13,736

Everett Blunck stars in Griffin in Summer (2024) as 14-year-old Griffin Nafly, the most ambitious playwright of his generation, who falls for his mother’s handsome 25-year-old handyman (Owen Teague).

Everett Blunck stars as 14-year-old Griffin Nafly, a precocious schoolkid and ambitious playwright living with his parents in a comfortable but American humdrum suburb, and he’s putting on a play with the help of a producer friend, and three actor friends, all kids of course. He’s having trouble with his collaborators, but then, to be fair, they are having trouble with him. Round about then his mom hires a handsome 25-year-old handyman, and Griffin’s life and his new play take an unexpected, bitter-sweet turn.

It’s love at first sight, and Griffin thinks he and Brad can live happily ever after. Unfortunately Brad is a fruit cake, is drunk all the time on dad’s liquor, has a girlfriend, hasn’t a cent to his name, and hasn’t a brain cell or feeling in his hunky, tattooed body. Oh and he wants to be a performance artist in New York City. If all else fails, Griffin plans to stalk him there.

Writer/ director Nicholas Colia’s 2024 independent coming-of-age film Griffin in Summer takes a risky idea and turns it into a very bright, lively and likeable American comedy film, with a brilliant turn from little Griffin Blunck as the 14-year-old who falls hook, line and sinker for the handsome 25-year-old handyman (Owen Teague) his kindly mother (Melanie Lynskey) has hired to help around the home. Ah, yes, unrequited young love at first sight, a subject that is very tricky to handle, and especially to keep constantly fresh and amusing. But that is exactly what Griffin in Summer does.

It’s Griffin Blunck’s show all the way, and it rests firmly on his tiny pair of shoulders. He should have a great career as a star character actor ahead of him if he wants to stay in the biz. Owen Teague plays it dumb as ditch water, that’s fine, that’s the role, okay not totally credible but this is a comedy, while an entirely credible Melanie Lynskey steals the support roles as the sad, understanding, patient mother, who’s also having a crap summer (dad is walking out on her for a prettier younger model). It’s a very American kind of film, a different spin on an old tradition of indie comedies. Hard to know who the audience is for it, but surely there must be enough misfits in the world to embrace it.

[Spoiler alert} Is the ending too sunny and hopeful? Well, maybe, but it’s a comedy not a tragedy, and it’s a good thing that the kid’s gonna be alright. He may behave very badly in the story, but he deserves the forgiveness he asks from his friends.

It rattles along nicely, quite sweetly, always sure-footedly, with sharp editing by Sam Levy and Jon Higgins, a cute score by Nami Melumad and bright cinematography by Felipe Vara de Rey.

The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival, New York City, on June 6, 2024 and was released in US cinemas on August 29, 2025. it won three awards at the Tribeca Festival: Best US Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and a Special Jury Mention for director Nicholas Colia. Vertical acquired the North American rights In May 2025.

It is shot mainly outside Richmond, Virginia, making good use of the views, with brief scenes in New York City. It took around four years to make.

Cast: Everett Blunck, Owen Teague, Melanie Lynskey, Johanna Colón, Aurora Richards 

Duration: 90 minutes.

Production: Honor Role, Spiral Stairs Entertainment, Tricky Knot, Coveside Films.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,736

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