The Perfect Summer (2013) User Reviews

More of a parody than anything else...

[cmshacco · 4/10 · 18 July 2021]

Nothing wrong with safe family friendly titles...The Perfect Summer has those safe family friendly qualities with some really solid acting from the film vets like Eric Roberts. Sydney Penny and Louis Mandylor.

Its Adam Horner and his story arc that really turns this movie into a parody. First it's his decision to play the role of 17yr old disgruntled teen like a 11yr old disgruntled pre-teen and let's not even get into the fact that he looks like a 30year old (even though he was 21yrs old at the time of filming)

Overall it's not a terrible film if you enjoy family friendly titles just don't take it too serious.

Nothing to See

[chubbydave · 2/10 · 10 August 2013]

It's about a single mom who moves from the big city to a small town. Her teenage son for some reason wants to learn to surf. The movie is filled with clichés including some adversity from town bullies, the boy bonding with his grandfather and learning to cope after the death of a loved one, all followed by a very underwhelming climax at the end.

I watched it because it was a surfing movie, but the surfing scenes are pathetic. The surfing scenes in this movie were the worst ever. Pathetic waves and extremely below average surfing. The sea is beautiful, and you can't go wrong with a perfect curl. It doesn't even have to be a Hawaii 5-0 type wave, just the turquoise blue water against a blue sky. But the water was kind of gray, and the cinematography was sophomoric.

The only thing that caused me to give it an extra star was Sydney Penny who I've been in love with ever since High Plains Drifter.

might have been good but

[sandcrab277 · 3/10 · 4 June 2020]

In the version of this film i watched, the background music drowned out the actor's dialogue so i couldn't quite hear what was being said ... like most amazon prime time you get garbage

Really Bad

[bogave · 2/10 · 12 December 2023]

It's not like I was expecting some great movie. I knew it would be following a basic formula, but wow!! This was really really bad. Let's just start with the fact that the 22 yr old is lead actor is supposed to be 17. Add to that, that he's a terrible actor brooding around for 1.5hrs. It's too bad because the movie had potential, but they managed to botch it at every level.

The plot is dumb, the bad guys are weak, the backstory is not compelling, and the execution was terrible.

The kid is so lame, you can't even root for him. His love interest is supposed to be a great surger with family problems and we don't see that either. All the way around a total waste of time and potential.

Decent family film

[MattyGibbs · 7/10 · 23 February 2015]

A teenager moves to the coast with his mom, to live with his grandad following the death of his father. He struggles to fit in until his ex surfboard champion grandad teaches him to surf.

It's a straightforward story and one that's been done a million times before however I found it quite entertaining if a little predictable. There is a strong performances from Eric Roberts as the grandad and he steals most of the scenes he is in. Sydney Penny as his mom offers good support but unfortunately the lead actor Adam Horner is a bit wooden.

I must admit I know zip about surfing so I don't know how realistic the surfing scenes were but I'm guessing not very. This is really a film about fitting in and overcoming your fears more than surfing though so I guess that point doesn't really matter.

This is a safe and watchable family film that's probably worth a 6.5 but as it provided a nice distraction from the cold dull English winter I'll give it a 7.

ehhh

[michael_c150 · 7/10 · 9 September 2019]

I mean it's not the worst movie, if they wouldn't have made the dude such a wimp could have made all the difference. the girl though wow gorgeous

Clean but not boring

[war-eagle · 9/10 · 21 July 2013]

Eric Roberts (Lou) plays a retired champion surfer and grandfather in this film. His character adaptation is the salt of the earth, something we have come to expect from the underrated Roberts. Sydney Penny (Alyssa) is complex but pleasant. Her on-screen beauty is familiar but dazzling. She turns on a dime and takes us on a ride of emotions as an unsure widow who turns to her estranged father for help in establishing a new identity and life, not only for herself but also for her teenage son. Adam Horner (Jake) is the typical teenager at a crossroads, but he is believable and solid. Katie Garfield (Kayla) turns in a strong performance as the love interest. This movie is interesting to children (mine are 12 and 9 and were fixated) as well as adults. If you want wholesome entertainment without the cheese, this is a movie worth seeing. Make more of these!

Fun and interesting movie!

[mudellen2 · 8/10 · 22 July 2013]

I really enjoyed the movie--and the music! I expected to see Jason Castro performing, but he didn't! However, some of his songs played in the background. Still, another song "Everyday" featured in the movie really caught my attention. Like the movie, the song is very uplifting--and just made me feel good! So much so, that I searched it, found it was written and sung by Tyrus Morgan, went to his website and ordered the album Straight Line. Almost every song on this album has the same uplifting melodies--now I can listen to "Everyday" every day!

Eric Roberts was fantastic!

So--I recommend the movie, as well as the music!