WHITE WATER SUMMER offers an outdoorsy adventure movie that feels very much like an inferior version of STAND BY ME, complete with group bonding, conflict, and coming-of-age drama. It's a rather wishy-washy affair, showcasing the amiable Sean Astin in the lead role, although his random bookend narration feels more than a little offputting given that he looks to have aged about five years in the meantime. Kevin Bacon is always interesting in a volatile supporting role and there's plenty of incident in the form of bridge-crossing, tent-building, rock-climbing and forest pursuit, but none of it is that engrossing and the whole enterprise has a certain shallowness about it.
Review of White Water Summer
