The Kings of Summer (2013)

Three teenage friends, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land.

Director:

Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Writer:

Chris Galletta

Stars:

Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Robinson	...	Joe
Gabriel Basso	...	Patrick
Moises Arias	...	Biaggio
Nick Offerman	...	Frank
Erin Moriarty	...	Kelly
Craig Cackowski	...	Mr. Larson
William Sonnie	...	Track Suit
Nathan Keyes	...	Paul
Cristoffer Carter	...	Construction Kid
Megan Mullally	...	Mrs. Keenan
Priscilla Kaczuk	...	Grandma Keenan
Marc Evan Jackson	...	Mr. Keenan
Alison Brie	...	Heather
Eugene Cordero	...	Colin
Gillian Vigman	...	Carol

Storyline

Joe Toy, on the verge of adolescence, finds himself increasingly frustrated by his single father, Frank's attempts to manage his life. Declaring his freedom once and for all, he escapes to a clearing in the woods with his best friend, Patrick, and a strange kid named Biaggio. He announces that they are going to build a house there, free from responsibility and parents. Once their makeshift abode is finished, the three young men find themselves masters of their own destiny, alone in the woods.

---

Plot Keywords:

title in title | bare chested male | summer | best friend | birdhouse | 

---

Taglines:

Why live when you can rule.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Kings of Summer

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$58,962 (USA) (31 May 2013)

Gross:

$1,290,312 (USA) (19 July 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Big Beach Films, Low Spark Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Galletta's script was featured on The Black List (an annual comprehensive list of Hollywood's best unproduced scripts) in 2009. Other notable scripts featured on the list that year include The Social Network (2010), Cedar Rapids (2011), and Take This Waltz (2011).

---

Goofs

While Joe, Biaggio, Patrick and Kelly are playing Monopoly and arguing in a wood house, Joe and Biaggio's cigars change from lit to unlit between shots.

---

Quotes

Frank: Yes, I experienced a childhood on the planet Earth. I've heard the story of the boy who cried wolf.

---

Crazy Credits

After the credits there is a scene with Biaggio.

---

Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: After Earth (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Written by Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer
Performed by Gil Imber

User Reviews

A comedy, with all the right mixes of emotion.

Toy's House was an interesting film following what most teenage kids wish...A kid who finally breaks free from his parents control. Joe Toy and his friend Patrick get fed up with their parents and decide to build a house in the woods to live in.

I really enjoyed this movie. It seemed to have the right mix of comedy and drama to keep you engaged the whole movie. Watching a couple of teenage boys try and survive in the woods was a lot of fun, and Nick Offerman as Joe's dad was a lot of fun as well. The biggest thing to note, is that while this is billed as a comedy, it was definitely more than that. The emotional aspect of this movie was everything you come to expect from a movie that has to sale itself with a great story, like most films at Sundance, which made it all that more fun.