By 7.8
Turns out Gibbs from NCIS used to have a fun side. And a solid Hawaiian shirt collection.
This type of movie has always held a special place in my heart. In the vein of “Teachers,” “The Great Outdoors,” and “One Crazy Summer,” this film is a coming of age tale for, well, the ages. The incredible breadth and depth of the character pool here takes the zaniness and grounds it with an incredible sense of heart. It’s not winning an Oscar anytime soon, but makes tough subjects approachable in a way that Oscar-bait films consistently miss the boat on. Movies are supposed to, on the whole, be fun, and this movie is definitely an hour and a half of that. So lace up your roller blades and don your radio headphones, and head out for a missed Hawaiian vacation turned quintessential summer adventure classic.
Side note: I can vouch for not only learning English, if some Italian to hit up the Italian foreign exchange student. Fond high school memories of a maiden from Milan once upon a time came to mind… I hope things worked out for Chainsaw after his time in summer school.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 