Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier
Right from the jump, Snack Shack is boisterous and wild and fun. It feels like a teenage summer, from the golden visual tones to the bouncy soundtrack. Set in Nebraska City, it’s a high school story that isn’t trying to redefine the genre, just give us a delicious slice of midwest summer.
The heart comes from director Adam Carter Rehmeier, who grew up in the area and even cast Nebraska City’s real Parks and Recreation Director, Scooter Edmisten, in a small speaking role.
THE PLOT
It’s the summer of 1991. Ambitious 14-year-old best friends A.J. (Conor Sherry) and Moose (Gabriel LaBelle) stumble into running the community pool’s snack shack. 15 minutes into the movie, they’ve already brewed beer in their bedrooms, ditched a school field trip to bet on horse racing, and cursed & smoked so much you’d think you were watching a Clint Eastwood western, so somehow it doesn’t seem crazy that they’d take this step (despite their age and lack of qualifications).
AJ plays the sweeter, quieter, more impressionable boy next door to Moose’s chaotic, inventive, confident teenage heartthrob. AJ brings the brains, Moose the bravado. They’re balanced out by their older friend Shane (Nick Robinson), a vet in his early twenties just home from the Gulf War. AJ’s parents (David Costabile and Gillian Vigman) want the best for him but reach exasperation every time they learn of the boys’ next scheme.
Plot disruption one is the snack shack. Disruption two is Brooke (Mika Abdalla), who just moved in next door to AJ. She’s gorgeous, an Army kid who’s never in one place for too long, and both the boys fall for her.
The movie does well when it’s just boys being boys (in the good way). There are some feel-good teenage dream scenes: Eating burgers in the back of Shane’s pickup, escaping from cop-raided hometown parties, fighting like brothers but making up like them, too. The drama of Brooke. The life Shane introduces them to.
Shane’s presence is the emotional core, and it’s clear they depend on his guidance. His exit from the plot sharpens the tone, making Snack Shack silly until it’s suddenly not. By the end, they’ve grown up just a little, enough to remind us that there’s an end to every blissful teenage summer.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It feels good to watch a pre-smartphone teenage movie. As we stand at the precipice of another digital revolution, the new era of AI-generated content and deep fakes, this plot is a welcome reprieve.
The script is passable and the heavier scenes are all well-acted. At least for now, LaBelle is better suited to roles like this than his attempt in Saturday Night (2024).
Snack Shack is an easy rainy day watch, a coming-of-age that, like the best summers, is more about the feeling than the form.
this movie is good.
My rating: 3/5
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