White Water Summer (1987)

The story of a shy boy who gets convinced by his parents to spend a few summer days in the mountains. So, he joins a group, and the vacation begins. Unfortunately, things turn out to be a little tough for our small friend.

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.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | wilderness | friend | nature | guide | 

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Taglines:

Adventure with an attitude.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rites of Summer

Filming Locations:

Cromberg, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$122,934, 12 July 1987, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$300,859

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 working title of this film was called "Rites of Summer".

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Goofs

When the boys are all urinating, no urine is seen at all, not even at the angle where urine should have been seen.

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Quotes

Vic: This is not acceptable behavior.

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the credits, instead of a Columbia Pictures logo, there's a text that reads: "THIS IS THE END," with the word "THIS" underlined.

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Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Playing Dangerous 2, the Exterminator, and the Deadliest Prey (2013)

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Soundtracks

On The Western Skyline
Written by Bruce Hornsby and John Hornsby
Performed by Bruce Hornsby & The Range (as Bruce Hornsby and The Range)
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label of BMG Music

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.