by Roxy Snavely, Contributor

Growing up in the age of primetime TV, my mom occasionally watched a programming block entitled The Million Dollar Movie, which aired on ABC. The block showed a variety of films going back to at least the 70s. One night, a coming-of-age film played in which a young man travels to California for the summer to stay with an Aunt. While there, he becomes a master surfer and gets a girlfriend. At the end of the film, we see him write numbers on his hand in order to indicate the amount of days left until next summer. For years, this information haunted my mother as she could not remember anything else about the movie, only the fact that she had enjoyed it as a child. What started as a passing curiosity about a film from her childhood quickly turned into a manhunt. During her freetime, she googled terms hoping something would come up. Yet nothing ever turned up, and she began to assume it was a figment of her imagination, perhaps she was confusing several movies for one. It wasn’t until someone suggested she try the term “1990s” instead of “1980s” when researching for the title of the film. 

An American Summer (1990) follows a Chicago teen boy by the name of Tom (Michael Landes) who has to stay at his Aunt’s house for the summer as his parents figure out the nitty-gritty of their divorce. In California, Tom is miserable, not because of his parent’s divorce, but by his sheer contempt for the West Coast lifestyle. Still, he manages to befriend Fin (Brian Austin Green), a boy who sells sunglasses on the pier. One night, after being rejected from the cool kid’s party, the boys witness a murder and are threatened to keep their mouths shut. However, this warning is quickly forgotten as the two move on to something much more important: scoring a date with local girls. The rest of the film is devoted to typical summer antics: pranks, paper routes, and of course, surfing…until about ten minutes before the ending where Tom must battle the convict in an abandoned mineshaft, the chosen makeout spot for Tom and his girlfriend. Tom, of course, wins and the season ends with him on the plane back to Chicago, where he writes the amount of days on his hand ‘til he can return next summer. 

It’s understandable why my mom couldn’t exactly recall An American Summer and why the film continues to live in obscurity. In some sense, it has all the makings of an 80s teen classic. It contains elements reminiscent of those depicted in John Hughes films: the friendship, romance and “good time” feel of the film. Yet it remains unheard of because said elements are copied in such a mediocre fashion. (Even the title itself  is so generic it's no wonder my Mom couldn’t find it.)  Still though, there are questionable choices, which makes it memorable enough to stick with you once you do see it. The filmmakers shove in a bizarre murder subplot in a hang out film, supposedly to add conflict, yet all it does is ruin the mood. Other scenes are drastic mood killers too, like a monologue that comes out of nowhere delivered by Fin’s father detailing the death of his Mother and sister. The only proper response to this emotionally jarring scene is to just laugh. But let us not forget that the entire story is a strange nod to Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer, with the characters even painting a fence about halfway through. I won’t say it's a remake, because it only follows Twain occasionally. Some of my favorite moments are towards the end, when the characters reflect on all the good times they’ve had over the summer, like it's forcing itself to be remembered as a classic. 

Although the plot is the most outwardly confusing aspect of the film, there are other decisions that are smaller, yet equally mind boggling. One example is a motif of shots containing close-ups of characters’ earrings. It makes no logical sense and is abandoned about a third into the movie. The editing in general is best described as wonky. There are real attempts to have the film flow well while still creating a visually interesting experience. Yet it feels stilted at times  due to a variety of common errors such as cutting too soon. Another strange thing to note is that the film is also a period piece for no apparent reason, taking place in the 1970s. Because of this, we get to hear music by the likes of The Cars and Aerosmith, but I’m not sure where they found the budget for that. 

An American Summer is undeniably a messy film, but it retains a certain charm by being as amateurish as it is. As stated before, the film can feel somewhat desperate for your approval, with running gags and jokes that frankly, don’t make much of an impact. But it’s not hard to imagine a universe where An American Summer is placed along the other coming-of-age 80s classics, one where writing numbers on your palm is as iconic as carrying a watermelon. Yet its overall quality renders it obscure, only to be remembered by those who may have caught it during its brief stint on Netflix or maybe even watched it on Million Dollar Movie. This may not be the best so-bad-it's-good movie, nor make it anywhere near those best movies of the 90s lists, but I think it’s just strange enough to give it a viewing. Hidden behind a dull premise lies a somewhat delightful tale of summer adventure and romance, and in my opinion, the bizarre elements only make it more amusing.