What’s It About
Dreaming of striking it rich, inseparable best friends AJ and Moose seize the opportunity to run the local pool’s rundown snack shack. However, things take an unexpected turn when they meet Brooke, an effortlessly cool lifeguard who puts their big summer plans — and friendship — at risk.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
The film stars Conor Sherry (AJ) and Gabriel LaBelle (Moose) pretending they’re back in their early teens, which sounds sketchy but works because their vibe is spot-on as dorky teenage buds. They’re AJ and Moose, these two guys who are all about making some quick cash and somehow end up brewing their beer that’s drinkable. Then there’s this cool lifeguard, Shane, played by Nick Robinson, who tells them that the snack stand by the pool is up for grabs for the summer, and they’re like, “Yeah, let’s make some bank.” The whole setup is dripping with that ‘90s nostalgia, shot in the director’s hometown of Nebraska City. There’s a love letter to microwaved hot dogs and a bunch of old-school vibes from the clothes to the tunes blaring in the background. AJ and Moose might not be the sharpest tools in the shed when it comes to business, starting their venture with some shady betting at the dog tracks and having to dodge their folks’ disapproval big time. But they dive headfirst into this snack shack biz, hoping to flip their luck. Their journey’s a wild ride of wasting time, bending the rules, and just living their best life, spiced up with a ton of swearing that somehow gets in its own way. Like, their idea of marketing is scribbling swear words on hot dogs with condiments, which is somewhat lame but also hilariously fits their whole deal. Then there’s Brooke, the girl-next-door type who’s anything but sweet to AJ, constantly throwing this horrendous nickname his way. It’s supposed to be flirty, I guess, but it’s mostly just cringe. However, something about her suggests there’s more under the surface, especially when she starts causing drama between AJ and Moose. Gabriel LaBelle stands out big time with the try-hard leader vibe, but you can tell he’s covering up some deeper stuff. The whole cast nails it, even when the film takes a sharp turn and tries to get all serious on us. But when it comes down to it, Snack Shack has this cool way of making awkward moments kinda fun until the plot doesn’t know where to head next and tries to yank our heartstrings out of nowhere. The film has its moments, feeling like a mix of trying too hard and not trying enough, with a bunch of random scenes that either hit or miss. Honestly, Snack Shack tries to pack in every single summer movie trope, from troublemaking teens to summer crushes, against a backdrop of ’91 tunes. It’s a ride that feels a bit too familiar and feels like it needs more time in the oven. AJ and Moose dive into this snack stand adventure, hoping for a quick win, but the story kinda zigzags without much of a plan. And Brooke, who’s supposed to mix things up, kinda ends up being this character you can’t get behind, making you wish AJ would just tell her off. So yeah, it’s got the whole teen summer comedy thing down but ends up feeling like one of those stories where you wish they’d just kept it simple and let the good times roll instead of trying to jam in a bunch of drama that doesn’t quite fit. That said, I know I’m not the target audience, but I was hoping for a little more substance, considering this generation tries so hard to make everything relevant with some profound hidden message.
OUR RATING – A JUVENILE 6