Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Talent: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman

Seeing his summer turned into a bleak parade of chores organized by his widowed father, fifteen-year-old Joe Toy (Nick Robinson) convinces two school-friends to run away and build a ramshackle house in the woods, leaving their parents concerned about what has befallen them. The boys in this coming-of-age comedy are perhaps a bit old for running away from home ― seen earlier in the film attending a local ‘kegger’ then, later, fighting with swords in the wilderness ― and the drama that unfolds veers towards the clichéd and expected, but the manner in which the story is told and well-built performances make for a pleasurable and often humorous film. The best contribution comes from some notable supporting players: Nick Offerman is outstanding as Joe’s father, Frank, mumbling sharp retorts at his son, neighbors and the clueless police officers trying to deal with the kids’ disappearance. In the end, it’s the boys themselves who lets the film down. They are never made to feel like flesh and blood people and their fragility robs the film of our sincere investment.

Words by Tony McKiver