Summer of '69 ends on a happy note, with Abby finally realizing her worth and becoming the most confident version of herself, while also making real friends. The film follows Abby, a high school student who has been eager to be with a boy named Max, whom she's been in love with practically her entire life. But make no mistake, in this sex-positive film with no actual sex, Abby doesn't get a life-transforming makeover; she finds a mentor at a strip club, the easiest place to find someone to teach you your true worth.
In Santa Monica, she's a stripper at Diamond Dolls, which is about to close or, worse, be sold to a complete jerk named Rick Richards. Together, can these two women work through their issues? Will Abby never be with the man of her dreams? Will Monica be out of a job? Before we get into the details, no, this movie isn't set in '69. It's set in the present day, with smartphones and "Glitch," a streaming platform for video games. I'm guessing you can already guess what the title means. So, without further ado, let's jump right into the Summer of '69.
Director: Jillian Bell
Writers: Jillian Bell, Jules Byrne, Liz Nico
Stars: Chloe Fineman, Sam Morelos, Matt Cornett
You know how if things aren't going so well, you should go to therapy? Well, this flippant movie turns Santa Monica into Abby's therapist. Look, you don't have to go from looking like Mia Thermopolis before she was a princess to looking like her after she was one to get the guy of your dreams. Sometimes, you just need to meet a much older woman who will teach you all about sex, but also make you understand what friendship really is. When Abby and Monica go to the sex shop, Abby gets a little distracted, and while we, the audience, see the colorful scene unfolding in her head, Monica has no idea why she suddenly logs off. This is because Abby hallucinates when the situation becomes too overwhelming or even when she's too happy. This is because she doesn't believe in herself; she even broadcasts with a mask covering her face, and she has no friends at school. She only talks to the mascot, who calls himself Bernie, and basically sells information to him.
As Abby spends more time with Santa Monica, she realizes she can be an interesting person. Although Monica initially tells her they shouldn't make small talk, soon, when Abby realizes she's having trouble with school, she wants to help her fix things. Although Monica appears confident on the outside (she's a stripper), she actually feels like she's squandered her potential, and the idea of buying the club for herself and her friends makes her feel like she's finally doing something meaningful with her life. The reason she doesn't want to go back to the school during the reunion is that she feels like a failure. But if she ends up buying the club, she can present herself as a business owner.
Abby saves Monica from some unsavory men when she's late to a private party, but it means Abby misses her stream. But missing the stream costs her followers and money. The big problem is that Abby promised to give Monica the $20,000 she needs for the club, but without the streams, she can't even make that much money in the long run. To make matters worse, after Abby and Monica finally become good friends and spend some time together during a fun girls' night, where they watched "Risky Business" together because it was the movie that sparked Monica's sexual awakening and holds sentimental value for both of them, Monica tells Abby that she doesn't think she's ready for her big night, which is a party the next day. This comes after she gives her a gorgeous dress she bought for her, but Abby interprets it as her telling her she's not worth it. That's when Abby blurted out that the only reason Monica was so nice to her was because of the money, and the worst part is, she didn't have any. The two ended up fighting, and Abby returned home dejected and alone.
Monica ended up going to the reunion anyway because Abby gave her her mother's outfit to make her look like a boss. The reason Monica felt so threatened was because she thought her former classmate, Robin, had her life figured out and would be embarrassed to meet her. But it turns out Robin's life isn't as perfect as Monica imagined. In fact, her husband has been visiting the strip club, and Robin also hasn't sold a house in the past three years as a real estate agent. I guess this became a bonding moment for the two women, and Monica told Robin about Abby's situation. Robin told Monica that she just needed to be there for Abby as a friend, and that she might have made a mistake, so all she needed to do was apologize.
Interestingly, the party, which was supposed to be at Max's house, is moved to Abby's, and it turns out Max is also interested in her, but not in the way she thought. Max likes Abby for who she is and isn't desperate to sleep with her, as Bernie made him seem. In fact, he's also inexperienced like her, because his ex-girlfriend was a Jesus girl and was waiting for marriage. Abby is thrilled to discover that the guy she likes not only likes her but is also following her on "Glitch." But Max gives Abby a brilliant idea to possibly save the club. Abby decides to put on a show for all the 18-year-olds at her house by taking them to the club and also livestreaming a performance—basically a fundraiser. She dresses like Tom Cruise from "Risky Business" and gives the performance of her life. Finally, Abby is a confident young woman capable of making friends and possibly never suffering from hallucinations again.
In the Summer of 69 finale, with funds raised from the club's people, during the broadcast, and then by Robin's husband, because Robin wants to help her friend (plus, her husband is a regular at the establishment), they manage to save the club from being sold to (P)Rick Richards. Abby and Max eventually kiss because they like each other, and they'll probably get to know each other before doing their own thing, when they're both ready. Sure, the friendship between an 18-year-old and a much older stripper is a little unusual, but it's still a true friendship. Abby also uses Monica's advice to pinch her thigh to make sure what she's experiencing is real, to feel the moment. I guess this will be enough for Abby to know what's real and what isn't, because she's made a friend. Plus, it must have been interesting to see your Indonesian daughter again with a blonde woman wearing your suit, while your house is a mess. But I guess that's okay because Abby took her mom's advice, and I think her grandmother's china is perfectly fine, so all good.
Comments
Post a Comment