Hot Summer Nights ☆☆☆ ½

Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Alex Roe, and Maika Monroe

Direction: Elijah Bynum

f you haven’t seen Hot Summer Nights, I’m not surprised. In Timothee Chalamet’s increas-ingly high-profile career, it is one of his lesser known films. However, if you’re still pondering whether this film that flew under the radar upon its release is worth your time, just remember that Chalamet played the role of Bob Dylan this year in A Complete Unknown. The reviews for that film might be mixed—partially because I’m Not There remains the best fictional film about Bob Dylan, with a cast including Cate Blanchett and the late Heath Ledger—but, like several critics and fans, you’ll agree that Chalamet’s portrayal of the iconic, mythical, and legendary musician is both honest and heartfelt. He truly put his soul into the film, learning to sing some of Dylan’s most well-known songs. Chalamet is the reason why A Complete Unknown is watchable, even if everything else feels underwhelming. And for his performance, he’s been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for A Complete Unknown.

But it’s not just his performance in A Complete Unknown that should convince you to find this film. Timothee Chalamet is the actor of this generation. He has delivered excellent performances in several films such as Call Me By Your Name, Dune and Dune: Part Two, Beautiful Boy, Don’t Look Up, and Wonka.

Hot Summer Nights didn’t make it to the Oscars, and while not the best film of his career, it is Chalamet’s performance that makes this teen drama—infused with drugs and crime— compelling to watch.

Daniel Middleton (Timothee Chala-met) has lost his father, and as the film begins, we see him meditating, wearing an outfit that resembles karate attire. It also becomes apparent that he isn’t processing his grief, and when profound loss isn’t confronted, it tends to sneak up on you when least expected. Living with his concerned mother, who is worried about him, he is sent to Cape Cod for the summer, where everything changes. Daniel is also the narrator, so we know his backstory very easily, as well as the film’s early ‘90s setting. This narration, paired with the nostalgic soundtrack, sets up the real story.

An awkward teenager, Daniel’s life soon revolves around two people: a brother and sister who don’t speak to each other. Hunter (Alex Roe), older than Daniel, sells drugs. Their odd first encounter leads to Daniel’s first experience with smoking. Hunter is known as the unsavoury character you avoid, but his “crime empire” is small— barely significant enough to attract attention of anyone except one cop and that has more to do with their connection. Even then, it’s not enough to get him arrested.

Where Hunter’s crime empire is modest, like selling cigarettes at a roadside kiosk, Daniel envisions something on another level. His plans to expand the business includes selling more expensive drugs, the possession of which could put them behind bars for several years.

They have each other’s backs, but as they push forward, they enter the orbit of real criminals who have the kind of reach that Daniel has yet to realize. They are capable of murder without breaking a sweat.

On the other hand, unknown to Hunter, Daniel has a sweet relationship with McKayla (Maika Monroe), who also happens to be older and has a past that has damaged her. Hunter doesn’t like her boyfriends, and Daniel knows he’s not supposed to hang out with Hunter’s sister. A family tragedy has driven a wedge between the siblings, leaving deep emotional scars.

The first half of the film is like watching a teen romance, focusing on the blossoming relationships—Daniel with McKayla and Hunter with another girl. The soundtrack is beautiful and evokes a sense of nostalgia for a time when people didn’t take pictures on phones with every outing, when friends hung out at ice cream parlors, and when open-air movie screenings were a common delight.

The second half of the film, however, takes a darker turn—one I won’t spoil here. You’ll have to watch to understand the dynamics and learn how each character’s choices has an affect on them and those around them.

What the film does very well is remind you that greed has a way of ruining lives. You can be greedy, or you can be happy. You can’t be both. Eventually, something will happen, and every relationship that matters to you will get damaged and to what extent.

The second half does have moments that feel like a cliché, and it becomes somewhat predictable. This is why Hot Summer Nights isn’t the number-one teenage drama. However, the cast does makes it worth your time.

Timothee Chalamet is excellent as the awkward yet cute teenager who is unaware that his greed will get the best of him. His acting, as always, is top-notch. You cannot find a flaw even if you looked at it scene by scene, and in every frame he appears. But Chalamet isn’t alone in making the film watchable. The rest of the cast also does a comm-endable job. Alex Roe as Hunter is very good.

There are so many layers to his character. He might be a drug dealer, but there is much more to him, and all that emerges in the second half. The sincerity with which he plays the part makes his performance a standout.

Maika Monroe as McKayla might look like your typical beautiful girl, dating boys and having fun. But like Hunter, she has a story to tell, a loss that she hides behind a persona for which others know her for.

All of the teenagers in the film make the story much more exciting than its original premise: selling drugs and dating. The way they portray their roles is also the reason the second half is not as unbearable as you’d think, even if you can work out the ending.

Teenage films are quite common, but with A24 backing a project, you have to give it a chance. A24 consistently makes films that are either nomi-nated for Oscars, or even when they don’t, they are among the most talked-about films to release. Think Moonlight, Everything Everywhere All At Once, LadyBird, A Most Violent Year, Room, Ex-Machina, A Different Man, We Live in Time, Heretic, The Bling Ring and the list goes on and on.

The soundtrack, a throwback to the ‘90s, the connected lives of three teenagers, an exploration of highs and lows—Hot Summer Nights is worth the watch. You may like it, love it, or hate it—but you won’t find a tedious moment.

Rating system: *Not on your life * ½ If you really must waste your time ** Hardly worth the bother ** ½ Okay for a slow afternoon only *** Good enough for a look see *** ½ Recommended viewing **** Don’t miss it **** ½ Almost perfect ***** Perfection