Opening 22 Aug 2019
Directed by:
Gene Stupnitsky
Writing credits:
Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky
Principal actors:
Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, Brady Noon, Molly Gordon, Midori Francis
Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams), and Thor (Brady Noon) are adolescents who call themselves the Bean Bag Boys and do everything together. Thor is interested in trying out for school musicals. Lucas doesn’t drink beer; his parents plan to divorce. Max has a younger sister Annabel who annoys him and a father who tells Max, “Hands off the drone.” Naturally, we know what that will lead to. Their main interest is girls and learning to kiss. In order to spy on Hannah and her friend, they steal the drone and fly it above the girls. It crashes. They must retrieve the drone, and later, even buy a new one. Money is a problem; the girls send them to Benji to pick up drugs. They steal a purse; there is a car crash; Claude buys a sex doll. Max is invited to Soren’s party, but Lucas and Thor are not. There is bullying; they look at Pokémon cards in a store. There is a gun. They play spin the bottle. And so it goes for 89 minutes.
Viewers in my audience laughed at various pranks. Although the theme is all about growing up, it’s difficult to determine the boys’ ages. They are supposedly in sixth grade, which would be 12-years-old, but they seem younger, although the actors are 12 and 13 in real life. Here viewers might relive memories of their own struggle with adolescence. Perhaps they will find it all too silly, but at least the music is fun: 18 songs beginning with “I’m Walking on Sunshine.” (Becky Tan)
