Review: "Summer of 69" Strips and Succeeds

High school comedies are a genre that seem to spark the strongest of opinions. Rarely does a film surrounded by lockers and awkward romantic exchanges immediately hit in theaters. If it does, it tends to define an entire generation. If it quietly debuts, there’s a strong percentage it will become an underrated, cult-like triumph in the decades to follow. People yearn for high school films to say something concrete about their teen years, whether or not they currently identify with the demographic. Thus, high school comedies are churned out like sauce at the Ragu factory.

When Summer of 69 was announced, it felt like it would inevitably be another quiet entry into the high school comedic canon. Especially coming from studio American High and set for a Hulu only release, the film was being set up as filler for the streamer. Imagine my delight to find that this film from first-time director Jillian Bell is nothing of the sort, but instead a delight in every way.

Summer of 69 follows Abby Flores (played winningly by newcomer Sam Morelos) as she yearns to connect with her lifetime crush, Max Warren. After someone insists that his preferred sexual position is 69ing, Abby sets out to conquer her virginal state and dive head first into getting with Max before graduation. She finds help in, of all places, a local strip club where she meets Santa Monica (played by Chloe Fineman, absolutely annihilating this lead role) whom she promises to pay in exchange for a sexual (inter)course.

The conceit is crazy, setting this up to be a raunchy sex comedy aimed at those fresh into the relationship-sphere. Yet, what viewers instead receive is a close-to-perfect buddy comedy with two unlikely leads who accidentally end up changing each other’s lives.

Now, when the comedy goes raunchy, it hits. The scenes set in the strip club (featuring Paula Pell, Nicole Byer, Alex Moffat, and Liza Koshy, all four firing on all cylinders) all have a sense of sexiness that feels motivated, never cringey. As Abby and Santa Monica start to pair off with each other, their frank discussions of sexual positions are played with a naivete that never requires a level of disbelief. This stems from a strong script from Jillian Bell (also directing, showing a keen eye for comedic filmmaking), Liz Nico, and Jules Byrne. However, enough can’t be said about Sam Morelos.

As the video game streaming, friendless, wannabe-loved Abby Flores, every scene is played with a sincerity that just works. Even when she goes for the jugular with a well-timed joke or physicality, Morelos never wavers from a clear understanding of the high school experience. Often in the genre, many performers flop by performing their characters as way too adult-like. Morelos relishes the opportunity to remain curious and confused about the forever aging girl looking back at her in the mirror.

The chemistry Fineman and Morelos share also works, with the pairing becoming instantly believable. In other hands, the two characters could’ve never clicked, but these two fit together expertly.

For a film that could’ve easily gone for cheap gags and even cheaper aesthetics (how many streaming comedies have you seen that could’ve been filmed on an iPhone front-facing camera?), Summer of 69 takes a wacky concept and grounds it in genuine performances. Jillian Bell, a comedy favorite, proves that sometimes the best people to create comedies are those that have worked decades for a laugh. Here’s hoping this generation of teens can find a new defining film in this one.

Summer of 69 debuts May 9th on Hulu.