Earl Cave and Monica Dolan are a delight in this charming
comedy directed by The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird
Here’s a movie that tells us that the days of summer, like the boys of summer in Don Henley’s song, are going to get outlived by the love they inspire. It’s what happens in this thoroughly sweet-natured, charming and unassuming
British film, adapted by screenwriter Lisa Owens from the 2012 graphic novel by Joff Winterhart, with a creamy soundtrack by Belle and Sebastian. Simon Bird (best known for playing Will in TV’s The Inbetweeners) makes his directorial debut.
Earl Cave and Monica Dolan play metalhead teenager Daniel Bagnold and his gentle, sad, divorced mum, Sue Bagnold, failing to get on with each other over an interminable summer in the epically boring British suburbs. Daniel is crucified with disappointment when a summer holiday with his dad in
Florida is cancelled and Sue is justifiably afraid that he will take his rage out on her. Daniel has a fractious relationship with his best mate, Ky (Elliot Speller-Gillott), and Sue isn’t sure how to take Ky’s supercilious mum, a reiki healer played by Tamsin Greig. Things get complicated when, to the delight of her younger sister (Alice Lowe), Sue is asked out on a date by Daniel’s history teacher, a predatory smoothie played by Rob Brydon.