Griffin in Summer (2025) - Film Review

      Griffin in Summer, 2025.

      Written and directed by Nicholas Colia.

      Featuring Everett Blunck, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Fortson, Kathryn Newton, Melanie Lynskey, Michael Esper, Gabriel J. Perez, Johanna Colón, Gordon Rocks, Ian Hernandez-Oropeza, Aurora Richards, Xavier Wolf, Alivia Bellamy, and Francine Berk.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Fourteen-year-old Griffin Nafly is the most driven playwright of his generation. However, after meeting handsome twenty-five-year-old handyman Brad, both his life and his play take a transformative turn.

      In Nicholas Colia’s Griffin in Summer, the titular lanky 14-year-old boy (portrayed by Everett Blunck with determination to prove his maturity beyond the usual antics of boys his age) stands out from other teenagers. Some may have an interest in theater, but Griffin is dedicated to spending his summer writing an ambitious and thematically complex play about a troubled marriage. This isn’t his first play; he is striving for recognition and aspiring to greatness as though he imagines himself becoming the next Tennessee Williams or Oscar Wilde.

      We frequently encounter films about troubled white male artists, and now we are seeing narratives about distressed white teenage boys aspiring to be artists. Griffin demands excessive professionalism and commitment from his peers and friends who participate in his productions, even though they also have their own lives and wish to enjoy their youth. This last aspect is something Griffin struggles to embrace.

      With the help of his friend and assistant Kara (Abby Ryder Fortson from the outstanding coming-of-age adaptation Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret?), auditions are conducted and schedules are meticulously organized. The relationship feels more like teenagers taking on adult responsibilities rather than children engaging in artistic expression and collaboration. To Griffin, this endeavor is entirely serious.

      On one side, given the deeply misogynistic nature of Griffin’s script (which portrays a man often at odds with his unfaithful wife and blaming her for various problems), one might question whether the entire narrative is a self-referential joke satirizing male egos and the tortured artist trope. Indeed, his writing comes off as forced, cheesy, and regressive, with humor occasionally arising from his flawed approach. Yet, it’s also evident that he is largely alone and self-reliant, as his mother (Melanie Lynskey) is overwhelmed with work, and his father is frequently away on business trips.

      It appears that Griffin may be more connected to handyman Brad (Owen Teague) than to his own family. This element adds another dimension to the film as it explores Griffin’s sexual awakening, with him feeling attracted to the adult who sometimes works shirtless around the home. Additionally, Brad is an unsuccessful performance artist who moved from New York, hoping to rebuild his career.

      In his infatuation with Brad and his art, Griffin replaces his lead actor to cast Brad in his play alongside the teenagers. He also believes that an inappropriate relationship might develop, despite his age and the fact that Brad has a “crazy” girlfriend played by Kathryn Newton. Consequently, Griffin loses sight of his play (Brad is interested in merging abstract art) and his friendships, inadvertently pushing everyone away.

      The exploration of coming-of-age sexuality in Griffin in Summer sometimes exceeds its limits, ultimately introducing scenes that feel implausible within an otherwise relatable narrative. Even if it’s difficult to accept that his peers would tolerate Griffin’s authoritative behavior and stringent expectations, the character’s sadness and feelings of brokenness do seep into his personality and his art.

      However, once his obsession with Brad consumes him, his actions become increasingly sociopathic and difficult to believe even for a film (incredibly, the 14-year-old manages to board a plane to New York alone without raising any alarms). Nonetheless, Griffin gains insights into maturity, friendship, the misogyny present in his writing, and the importance of allowing himself to enjoy being a teenager. This summer is pivotal for him, while the rest of us find it to be an acceptable drama.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Robert Kojder