The Kings of Summer ***½ (R) Welcome to the second annual coming-of-age/back to nature comedy festival. Last year’s sleeper hit in this vein was Moonrise Kingdom. This one features three high school guys - two friends and an annoying hanger-on (Moises Arias)- who are so fed up with their annoying parents and other assorted frustrations they decide to build a home in the nearby woods in an act of emancipation. They manage to fabricate a ramshackle dwelling, and forage for their other needs. Though sworn to secrecy, one of them invites the girl he pines for, eventually leaving only their parents and the cops out of the loop. They think the boys ran away or were abducted.
The parents are such self-absorbed twits, one easily empathizes with the young escapees. Even so, with teenaged boys being the warped little critters they must be, things go awry in a number of ways. Some of their foibles and failings are funny; others, touching. While their situation adds up to a hyperbolized reality, the underlying emotional tugs and turmoil remain eminently relatable to our assorted transitions from childhood to (at least chronological) adult status. Arias threatens to steal the show in his limited screen time, while talents like Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman and Alison Brie among the post-teen cast add both heart and humor to the proceedings. This one may not spur a groundswell of support and acclaim like Moonrise’s, but if it sticks around long enough to be noticed, its audience should keep growing sufficiently to reward the producers. (6/7/13)