Griffin in Summer Review – Exceptional Performances Gloss Over So-So Story

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Monday, 25 August 2025 12:20

Written by Janet Walker

Griffin in Summer, from Vertical, presents a suburban coming of age drama, as a young playwright prepares for his annual summer stock theater, his inspiration is suddenly subverted when his homelife is disrupted and puberty strikes.

The film begins with a talent show as the school is celebrating the last day of school by allowing the brave students to showcase their talents. Griffin, played by Everett Blunck in his film debut, enters the stage and in a surprise burst of power emanating from this slight framed child, he performs multiple parts from his newest play. Unconcerned with the minimal response for the uninformed high-school crowd, Griffin is, in his mind, already the best playwright his small town has ever known.  

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As we watch his performance, we are left with the thought that all is not well at home and soon, as summer begins, we realize Griffin, an adult-child, is left to himself, as his mother works remotely, and keeps odd hours, and his dad is on the road. There is little conversation or connection, as Mom is preoccupied and dad is gone.

However, Griffin, our child-adult playwright, is working on his play and in complete charge of his environment. His cast and director are arriving today, and as his mom, played by Melanie Lynskey, has recently hired a handyman Brad, played by Owen Teague, Griffin assumes as the help, he can help moved the furniture to set up the stage for the read through.

When Griffin meets Brad, he is nothing more than the help and dismisses him as he does with everyone. Until one moment, and we understand Griffin has found his muse. As they begin talking, Griffin shows him the liquor cabinet, fixes him lunch, and then Brad begins to talk about new York City, Broadway, the alluring lights, opening nights, a starry-eyed future which intoxicates young Griffin.

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Understanding they now have something in common, young Griffin explains to the artistically starved Brad, he is a director suddenly the room is electric as handyman Brad, explains he is also an artist, and pulls up a video on YouTube. As he watches Griffin, we can see he is seeking validation from the basement summer stock director and hangs on his every word as if he were speaking to Spielberg.

Griffin, in true playwright form, fires his lead actor, Tyler, played by Gordon Rocks, and replaces him with Brad and now the two are auditioning together. One day, Brad disappears and his mother, played by Francine Berk, explains he returned in Brooklyn.

Devastated, Griffin responds in his typical take charge attitude determined to fix this problem. Which leads to the climatic final act. Throughout the film, we see Griffin's troupe of actors, Kara, played by Abby Ryder Fortson, Pam, played by Alivia Bellamy, Winnie, played by Johanna Colon, and Tyler all attempt to understand Griffin's abrupt changes.

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Griffin in Summer is more than a gay coming of age film, it also presents an authentic view of the modern family unit, highlighting the breaks in the family, latchkey kids raised on social media and apps, without real guidance or communication. And emphasizes hands off parenting, even as both parents ensure his wellbeing, they have little interaction with him on a daily basis. He is nurtured by his own goals, which until he meets the handsome, hippie-artist Brad, are enough to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Everett Blunck, in his film debut, bursts onto the screen with a surprising and memorable performance complete with depth and range. Owen Teague, in an off-type role delivers another excellent performance, as the down on his luck performance artist, Brad, lost in a mix of artistic metamorphosis, drug induced fantasies of greatness, and shock art.

As the film travels down the rabbit hole of socio-mores, it takes a dark turn, as the writer seems to exploit the generational changes, which have made same-sex relationships more common, acceptable and embraced without concern, and has ventured into the pre-pubescent gray gay area, which I felt was extreme and not necessary.

Overall, Griffin in Summer is a good film, with strong performances all around and a neat happy ending.

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Country: U.S.

Language: English.

Runtime: 93 minutes.

Director: Nicholas Colia.

Produced by: Juliet Berman, Bobby Hoppey, Camila Mendes, Rachel Matthews, Matthew Miller.

Executive Produced by: Fred Bryant, Cullen Conly, Alex Tynion.

Writer: Nicholas Colia.

Cast: Everett Blunck, Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Fortson, Kathryn Newton, Alivia Bellamy, Francine Berk, Fred Bryant Sr., Johanna Colon, Michael Esper, Ian Hernandez-Oropeza, Kethryn Newtone, Gabriel J. Perez, Aurora Richard, Gordon Rocks, Xavier Wiolf.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has completed the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and “Days, Times, Seasons, Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose,” are available on Amazon. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.