I liked the songs but they were sung so out of tune it made it hard to watch. Glad to see girls rising up to do their thing, as we know we HAVE been capable all along. Typical "love" story though, nothing new.
12 Reviews
Catchy tunes!
peggysue42223 July 2020
VIEWS ON FILM review of The Girls of Summer
burlesonjesse521 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
"Are you guys still looking for a drummer?" So says the persona of Maren Taylor (Tori Titmas) in 2020's The Girls of Summer. "Summer" is a sort of musical drama and yup, it's my latest review.
Anyhow, The Girls of Summer is like a small scale version of A Star is Born. As something about a female musician who tries to make it big instead of tending to her father's farm, "Summer" is more a celebration of great country music performances as opposed to a true, feature-length film.
So OK, The Girls of Summer was nevertheless a surreal movie experience for me. Why? Because my hometown of St. Joseph, Michigan was featured as a locale. "Summer's" director (John D. Hancock) picks up right where he left off after 2015's The Looking Glass. An Indiana resident with a vast directorial resume, Hancock creates another solemn slice of Middle Americana.
That being said, the film is still choppily edited while it cuts a few corners. For instance, Taylor's father Frank (played by Jeff Puckett) is a man who is sadly addicted to drugs and alcohol. Why then, does his character arc seem so minimal and left on the cutting room floor? Same goes for Maren Taylor's romantic tryst with a former band member (Luke Thomas played by Nathan Hosner). Their courtship feels rushed, glossed over, and barely fleshed out.
Romance begot, I liked a lot of the live songs featured on The Girls of Summer and I dug the fact that the area I grew up in was promoted in spades. Still, "Summer" is a vehicle where the camera just peeks in giving the audience a bare bones of a plot.
John D. Hancock's similar The Looking Glass remains one of my favorite flicks from the last five years. Here, he opts for less dramatic heft, some head-scratching closing credits shots, and a blase ending. Bottom line: Hancock comes up a little short as he "bangs the drum" too softly.
Anyhow, The Girls of Summer is like a small scale version of A Star is Born. As something about a female musician who tries to make it big instead of tending to her father's farm, "Summer" is more a celebration of great country music performances as opposed to a true, feature-length film.
So OK, The Girls of Summer was nevertheless a surreal movie experience for me. Why? Because my hometown of St. Joseph, Michigan was featured as a locale. "Summer's" director (John D. Hancock) picks up right where he left off after 2015's The Looking Glass. An Indiana resident with a vast directorial resume, Hancock creates another solemn slice of Middle Americana.
That being said, the film is still choppily edited while it cuts a few corners. For instance, Taylor's father Frank (played by Jeff Puckett) is a man who is sadly addicted to drugs and alcohol. Why then, does his character arc seem so minimal and left on the cutting room floor? Same goes for Maren Taylor's romantic tryst with a former band member (Luke Thomas played by Nathan Hosner). Their courtship feels rushed, glossed over, and barely fleshed out.
Romance begot, I liked a lot of the live songs featured on The Girls of Summer and I dug the fact that the area I grew up in was promoted in spades. Still, "Summer" is a vehicle where the camera just peeks in giving the audience a bare bones of a plot.
John D. Hancock's similar The Looking Glass remains one of my favorite flicks from the last five years. Here, he opts for less dramatic heft, some head-scratching closing credits shots, and a blase ending. Bottom line: Hancock comes up a little short as he "bangs the drum" too softly.
Decent but slow
davidrager29 July 2020
The Story is good even though it's a little predictable. The pacing felt off at times and made the film drag on.
Some of the shots were done very well and beautifully show off the nice landscapes of Indiana!
Like most movies there are good things and bad things, but overall it's worth a watch!!
Some of the shots were done very well and beautifully show off the nice landscapes of Indiana!
Like most movies there are good things and bad things, but overall it's worth a watch!!
Just pass
v_twin_vixen2 August 2020
As a musician, this might be the worst movie about musicians I've ever seen. The songwriting was embarrassingly cheesy, the vocals hard to listen to, and the execution of pretending to play or sing was pretty poor; entirely aside from the believability of these people as musicians chasing a dream being nil. The girl/ guy chemistry was non existent and the interactions cringeworthy.
Good potential bad acting
alylgreene24 June 2020
Felt like the plot was thrown at you. No inclination the dad had an alcohol problem but only showed two seconds of background of it and then showed him in the hospital. Bad singers for a role where she was supposed to be fulfilling her dream of becoming a singer. Very awkward acting and storyline where it was hard to follow.
The music is awkward
abananna20 June 2020
The acting is pretty decent. The music and singing is just not good. Not good enough for this to be a movie about professional musicians. The song writing is bad. It could have been a good movie with real musicians and vocalists.
One star cause there's no un-star!
wilsp-255126 August 2020
Musical sure
fmwongmd23 July 2020
Surprisingly great movie
linfost-5905016 May 2020
When I first heard about this movie, I thought it would be a little boring and drawn out. I was so wrong. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me feel good. The music is outstanding. A movie you dont want to end.
Perfect film for the world today.
mikes-0917730 April 2020
It's a beautiful day in Indiana. Working on their family sod field, the Taylor sisters are looking forward to the coming evening with both joy and sadness. Soon two of them will be leaving home to pursue other endeavors but first, for the last time, tonight The Girls of Summer will take the stage.
Beautifully photographed and smoothly paced, "The Girls of Summer" follows oldest sister Maren (Tori Titmas, who also wrote the screenplay) as she embarks on the journey of life. A chance meeting at their last gig with former country star Luke Thomas (Hosner) offers her the opportunity to join his touring band - he's on the comeback trail, an opportunity she originally turns down to stay home and care for her father (Puckett), still grieving for his late wife and now heavily dependent on drugs and alcohol to get through the day. Dad convinces her to follow her dreams. But, as with many dreams, they don't always come true.
I think what made this film so enjoyable to me is that it is the finished product of a "Community Project." As with his previous films, "The Looking Glass" and "A Piece of Eden," director Hancock and crew prove that not all the talent in the world resides in Hollywood. From his headquarters in Indiana he has put together some amazing local talent and their freshness and enthusiasm fill the screen. The performances are strong, the songs are catchy and the countryside is beautiful. Hancock has always been at his best when tackling "real life." His camera seems to give you a look into the hearts of the characters, giving the viewer an emotional attachment to what they are seeing.
This time of year usually signals the beginning to the upcoming summer movie season, filling theatres with loud, multi-million dollar extravaganzas. "The Girls of Summer" is a welcome respite from those films.
Beautifully photographed and smoothly paced, "The Girls of Summer" follows oldest sister Maren (Tori Titmas, who also wrote the screenplay) as she embarks on the journey of life. A chance meeting at their last gig with former country star Luke Thomas (Hosner) offers her the opportunity to join his touring band - he's on the comeback trail, an opportunity she originally turns down to stay home and care for her father (Puckett), still grieving for his late wife and now heavily dependent on drugs and alcohol to get through the day. Dad convinces her to follow her dreams. But, as with many dreams, they don't always come true.
I think what made this film so enjoyable to me is that it is the finished product of a "Community Project." As with his previous films, "The Looking Glass" and "A Piece of Eden," director Hancock and crew prove that not all the talent in the world resides in Hollywood. From his headquarters in Indiana he has put together some amazing local talent and their freshness and enthusiasm fill the screen. The performances are strong, the songs are catchy and the countryside is beautiful. Hancock has always been at his best when tackling "real life." His camera seems to give you a look into the hearts of the characters, giving the viewer an emotional attachment to what they are seeing.
This time of year usually signals the beginning to the upcoming summer movie season, filling theatres with loud, multi-million dollar extravaganzas. "The Girls of Summer" is a welcome respite from those films.
Must see!
gibstermae29 April 2020
Good Chick Flick
nananovak29 August 2020
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