Summertime (2020 film)

Summertime is a 2020 American comedy-drama film directed by Carlos López Estrada from a screenplay by Dave Harris, and executive produced by Kelly Marie Tran. It was inspired by a spoken-word showcase with 25 diverse high school performers.

Summertime
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCarlos López Estrada
Screenplay byDave Harris
Story byThe Summertime Poets
Produced by
  • Kimberly Stuckwisch
  • Jeffrey Soros
  • Alisa Tager
  • Simon Horsman
  • Carlos López Estrada
  • Diane Luby Lane
Starring
  • Tyris Winter
  • Marquesha Babers
  • Maia Mayor
  • Austin Antoine
  • Bryce Banks
  • Amaya Blankenship
  • Bene't Benton
  • Mila Cuda
  • Gordon Ip
  • Jason Alvarez
CinematographyJohn Schmidt
Edited byJonathan Melin
Music byJohn W. Snyder
Production
companies
Distributed byGood Deed Entertainment
Release dates
  • January 23, 2020 (2020-01-23) (Sundance)
  • July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09) (United States)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$72,012[2]

The film premiered in the NEXT section of the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020.

It received a limited theatrical release on July 9, 2021, prior to VOD on September 2, 2021, by Good Deed Entertainment. It received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Premise

Over the course of a hot summer day in Los Angeles, the lives of 25 young Angelinos intersect. A skating guitarist, a tagger, two wannabe rappers, an exasperated fast-food worker, a limo driver—they all weave in and out of each other's stories.[3]

Release

Summertime premiered in the NEXT section of the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020.[1][4] In June 2020, Good Deed Entertainment acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[5] It was released in select theaters on July 9, 2021, before expanding a week later, on July 16.[6]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 64 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Although its conceptual ambitions are muddled by its hopscotching sequences, Summertime's earnest heart beautifully captures what it means to live and breathe in the City of Angels."[7] On Metacritic, has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]

Tim Grierson of Screen Daily noted that spoken word in film often comes off as pretentious, but the direction here was careful to weave between expectations, and said: "The result is a deeply touching tapestry that celebrates the diversity and cultural richness of LA, while at the same time exploring the hopes and fears of a generation heading into an uncertain adulthood."[9] Peter Debruge of Variety called the film "inspirational" and wrote: "This fleet-footed, kaleidoscopic showcase is all about finding your voice so that the world can start to appreciate what it doesn't know about those it hears from far too seldom."[10]

References
  1. "Summertime". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  2. "Summertime (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  3. Sollosi, Mary (January 17, 2020). "See exclusive poster for Sundance spoken-word poetry film Summertime". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  4. DeFore, John (January 23, 2020). "'Summertime': Film Review | Sundance 2020 | Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  5. Gonzalez, Umberto (June 17, 2020). "Good Deed Acquires Domestic Rights to Spoken Word Poet Film 'Summertime'". TheWrap. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  6. Hipes, Patrick (April 13, 2021). "Kelly Marie Tran Boards Carlos López Estrada's Spoken-Word Poetry Pic 'Summertime' As EP". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  7. "Summertime (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  8. "Summertime Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  9. Grierson, Tim (January 23, 2020). "'Summertime': Sundance Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  10. Debruge, Peter (January 24, 2020). "'Summertime': Film Review". Variety. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
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