Netflix’s The Last Summer had managed to create quite the buzz even before it officially released on the streaming platform. But can we say that it lived up to the hype?
The cast boasts of rising Hollywood names including Riverdale’s K J Apa, The Foster’s Maia Mitchell, Teen Wolf’s Tyler Posey, Halston Sage, Tyler Latimore, Sosie Bacon, Gage Golightly, Wolfgang Novogratz, Jacob McCarthy, Mario Revolori and Audrey Grace Marshall.
As the name suggests, the film is set in a time-frame where high-school graduates find themselves immersed in college applications, while simultaneously trying to make the best of the summer holidays.
The two hour film is a typical romance movie. One might even say that it is very reminiscent of those romance classics as Love Actually, Valentines Day and New Year’s Eve. In that, the plot revolves around the various relationships of related and unrelated characters, in a sort of internal crossover.
The interwoven plots discuss each character’s story, while tying it up with a seasonal romance. Everyone has similar screen-time and a crisis that they’re facing. Throughout the course of the film, we witness them trying to make ends meet, deal with their problems and their impending separation.
As cliché as it sounds though, the film makes it hard for its audiences to relate to it. It doesn’t delve deep into any character growth nor does it highlight pointers on the transitioning period between pubescence and adulthood.
It would be right in saying that the film doesn’t succeed at bringing anything new to the plate. While the situations in play may be those that people go through in actuality, the amount of glorification makes it seem unrealistic. Scenes that call for some sentimental engagement are devoid of any emotions.
While a good-natured attempt by director William Bindley, the film only manages to engage and entertain superficially, just as any other typical chick-flick.