Almost Summer
| Almost Summer | |
|---|---|
Theatrical Poster
|
|
| Directed by | Martin Davidson |
| Produced by | Rob Cohen |
| Written by | Judith Berg Sandra Berg Martin Davidson Marc Reid Rubel |
| Starring |
Bruno Kirby Lee Purcell |
| Music by | Ron Altbach Charles Lloyd |
| Cinematography | Stevan Larner |
| Edited by | Lynzee Klingman |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
|
Release date
|
September 8, 1978 |
|
Running time
|
88 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Almost Summer is a 1978 film directed by Martin Davidson, and produced by Motown Productions for Universal Pictures. It is the only Motown theatrical feature not to center on African-American characters. Though not successful at the box office, the film has since acquired a certain degree of historical importance because many observers consider it to be the first of a series of distinctive "youth-genre" films of which other, more prominent examples include Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Breakfast Club.
Set in a generic Southern California high school, the plot of the film revolves around a student council election, which stirs up assorted petty jealousies among various characters. Most of the soundtrack was written by Mike Love of the Beach Boys and performed by a studio band assembled by Love known as Celebration. The title song, which became a mid-level hit single, opens with the lyrics "Susie wants to be a lady director, and Eddie wants to drive a hearse; Johnny wants to be a doctor or lawyer, and Linda wants to be a nurse" — reflecting a total lack of world-changing idealism on the part of the teenage characters, thus clearly marking them as the first wave of a new generation, which in the fullness of time would receive the label "Generation X."
The best-known actor to star in the film was Tim Matheson, in the role of Kevin Hawkins. The film features three professional skateboarders: Bryan Beardsley, Ty Page, and Mark Bowden.
The movie was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America, but earned a B — "objectionable in part" — rating from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting; the latter body observed that "the film presents in uncritical fashion a suffocatingly materialistic and amoral environment, has offensive jokes at the expense of people with physical disabilities, and flaunts a gratuitous bit of nudity."
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