Hot Summer Nights (film)
| Hot Summer Nights | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Elijah Bynum |
| Written by | Elijah Bynum |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Javier Julia |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Will Bates |
Production company | Imperative Entertainment |
| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hot Summer Nights is a 2017 American drama film directed and written by Elijah Bynum, in his directorial debut. It stars Timothée Chalamet, Maika Monroe, Alex Roe, Maia Mitchell, William Fichtner and Thomas Jane. Set in Cape Cod in the summer of 1991, the plot follows a teenage boy who becomes entangled in the world of drugs.
The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 13, 2017. It was released on June 28, 2018, through DirecTV Cinema before being released in a limited release on July 27, 2018, by A24.
Plot
Daniel (Timothée Chalamet), an awkward teenager gets in over his head dealing drugs while falling for his business partner's enigmatic sister during one scorching summer in Cape Cod.
Cast
- Timothée Chalamet as Daniel Middleton
- Maika Monroe as McKayla Strawberry
- Thomas Jane as Sergeant Frank Calhoun
- Alex Roe as Hunter Strawberry
- Maia Mitchell as Amy Calhoun
- Emory Cohen as Dex
- William Fichtner as Shep
- Jack Kesy as Ponytail
Production
On March 26, 2015, it was announced that Elijah Bynum would make his directorial debut with his own 2013 Black List script titled Hot Summer Nights, set in 1991 Cape Cod.[1][2] Imperative Entertainment would finance and produce the film with its Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin.[2] On June 24, 2015, Maika Monroe, Timothée Chalamet, and Alex Roe were added to the cast to play the lead roles.[3] Later, Maia Mitchell, Emory Cohen and Thomas Jane were also added to the cast.[4][5][6]
Release
The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 13, 2017.[7][8] In September 2017, A24 and DirecTV Cinema acquired distribution rights to the film.[9] It was released through DirecTV Cinema on June 28, 2018, before being released in a limited release on July 27, 2018.[10]
Critical reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Hot Summer Nights holds an approval rating of 38% based on 16 reviews, with an average score of 4.9/10.[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]
Michael Hoffman, writing for Consequence of Sound, praised the film, calling it "A brazen anti-coming-of-age thriller that oozes with all the right confidence, chutzpah, and passion."[13] Conversely, Indiewire critic David Ehrlich criticized the script as "empty," and referred to the film as "A sweaty pastiche that shares its protagonist’s desire to be all things to all people, only to wind up losing any sense of itself along the way."[14]
References
- ^ "Black List 2013: Full Screenplay List". Deadline.com. December 16, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Ford, Rebecca (March 26, 2015). "Imperative Entertainment Producing Black List Script 'Hot Summer Nights' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 24, 2015). "Maika Monroe, Timothee Chalamet & Alex Roe To Topline 'Hot Summer Nights'". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (August 26, 2015). "Thomas Jane, Maia Mitchell, Emory Cohen join 'Hot Summer Nights' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ^ "On the Set for 8/14/15: Marlon Wayans Starts Fifty Shades of Black, Bill Condon Wraps Up Beauty and The Beast". ssninsider.com. August 14, 2015. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Brett, Jennifer (August 13, 2015). "Huge casting call for extras for "Hot Summer Nights"". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ "Hot Summer Nights". Retrieved January 31, 2017.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 8, 2017). "SXSW 2017 Lineup: 'Baby Driver', 'Free Fire', 'Muppet Guys Talking' & Docus That Matter In Trump Era". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
- ^ Lang, Brent (September 8, 2017). "A24, DirecTV Nab Worldwide Rights to Timothée Chalamet's 'Hot Summer Nights' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
- ^ Evans, Greg (April 12, 2018). "'Hot Summer Nights' Trailer: Timothée Chalamet Gets Tangled Up In Weed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
- ^ "Hot Summer Nights (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ^ "Hot Summer Nights Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ^ Hoffman, Michael (March 14, 2017). "SXSW Film Review: Hot Summer Nights". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (June 26, 2018). "'Hot Summer Nights' Review: Timothée Chalamet Stars in His Own Stale 'Adventureland'". Indiewire. Retrieved July 2, 2018.