White Water Summer (1987)

An experienced guide (Vic) accompanies a city boy (Alan) and his three friends on their first wilderness experience. Hoping to teach the four boys lessons not only about the wilderness, but... See full summary »

Director:

Jeff Bleckner

Writers:

Manya Starr, Ernest Kinoy

Stars:

Kevin Bacon, Sean Astin, Jonathan Ward

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kevin Bacon	...	Vic
Sean Astin	...	Alan
Jonathan Ward	...	Mitch
K.C. Martel	...	George
Matt Adler	...	Chris
Caroline McWilliams	...	Virginia Block
Charles Siebert	...	Jerry Block
Joseph Passerrelli	...	Storekeeper (as Joseph Passerelli)

Storyline

An experienced guide (Vic) accompanies a city boy (Alan) and his three friends on their first wilderness experience. Hoping to teach the four boys lessons not only about the wilderness, but about themselves, Vic pushes them to the limit. Soon after alienating the boys, Vic finds himself in desperate need of help and must rely on his students in order to survive.

---

Plot Keywords:

friend | wilderness | nature | guide | summer | 

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rites of Summer

Filming Locations:

Cromberg, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$300,859 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Polar Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is dedicated to its director of photography, John Alcott, who previously worked on several Stanley Kubrick projects.

---

Goofs

The cut on George's wrist while swinging across the crevice of Devil's Tooth.

---

Quotes

Vic: This wasn't on the itinerary.

---

Soundtracks

"Streetwalker"
Composed, Produced and Performed by Michael Boddicker

User Reviews

Not for everyone...

This is a response to the reviewers questioning Vick's motives.

As a city boy who loves the outdoors, I totally understood where Kevin Bacon's character was coming from, though, he was clearly a nut-job for the most part.

In my experience, city boys (i.e. Sean Astin's character) cannot find value in the wilderness for the life of them, and obtaining a cellphone signal is their top priority at all times. This movie is about taking a break from our technology-infused world and getting back to the basics. The wilderness is a wonderful, rugged place that can really broaden anyone's perspective on life. It's about facing fears head-on and living to tell about it -- those are the experiences that you remember in life.

I wish everyone would share these sentiments, as Vick probably does in this movie. But Vick's major fault is failing to realize that people cannot be forced to enjoy something that's unfamiliar and frightening to them. He feels he can get through to them but uses some extreme means and acts like a huge ass in the process.