Griffin in Summer
Griffin in Summer
Fourteen-year-old Griffin Nafly is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. But once he meets handsome twenty-five-year-old handyman Brad, his life and play will never be the same.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 1, 2025
Griffin in Summer is a sharp little coming-of-age indie that sees Griffin (Erick Blunck), a 14-year-old theater kid who takes himself way too seriously, convinced his angsty plays are profound while everyone else just sees them as overblown. At home, his mom (Melanie Lynskey) is overwhelmed, and when she hires Owen Teague as Brad, a 25-year-old artist/poolboy, Griffin’s casual interest quickly turns into a full-on summer obsession.
Writer-director Nicholas Colia tracks Griffin’s spiral, pulling laughs from his single-mindedness while letting the awkwardness of his infatuation linger. Kathryn Newton pops up as Brad’s clingy girlfriend, hilariously undercutting Griffin’s big romantic fantasies (and stealing every scene she’s in along the way). Whether you see Griffin as a hopeless romantic or just a self-absorbed theater kid, Blunck nails both sides at once. Charming and funny, in equal measure.