Overview
A nostalgic summer romance blossoms amidst the innocence of youth and the complexities of love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- wistful
- tender
- nostalgic
- summer afternoon
- nostalgic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly value the film's charm, tenderness, performances, and beautiful production while finding its nostalgic framing and slack pacing limiting.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The adult Hermie looks back on the summer through a nostalgic framework that softens and distances youthful desire and grief.
Hermie's shy attachment to Dorothy develops through hesitation, admiration, and indirect expressions of feeling.
The island vacation gives Hermie and his friends a bounded setting for confronting sexuality, desire, friendship, and adulthood.
Beach houses, sand, shoreline, and summer light create the film's defining visual atmosphere of beauty and wistfulness.
Films like Summer of '42, and why
The Last Picture Show
nostalgic coming of age, adolescent sexual awakening, and wistful romantic longing
Stand by Me
adolescent friendship, summer nostalgia, and emotionally formative first experiences
A Room with a View
romantic idealism, youthful desire, and reflective period atmosphere
The Way We Were
bittersweet memory, restrained romance, and the transition from youth into adulthood
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Mulligan
- Release Date
- 1971-04-19
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (165)
Cast
- Jennifer O'Neill
- Gary Grimes
- Jerry Houser
- Oliver Conant
- Katherine Allentuck
- Christopher Norris
- Lou Frizzell
- Walter Scott
- Maureen Stapleton
- Robert Mulligan
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Summer of '42 about?
- On a wartime island summer, a shy teenager's infatuation with an older married woman becomes a tender and bittersweet passage into adulthood.
- What is Summer of '42 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Summer of '42 as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Summer of '42 violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Summer of '42 as mild.
- What did critics think of Summer of '42?
- Critics broadly value the film's charm, tenderness, performances, and beautiful production while finding its nostalgic framing and slack pacing limiting.
- Which films are like Summer of '42?
- Films with a similar feel include The Last Picture Show, Stand by Me, A Room with a View, and The Way We Were.
- How long is Summer of '42?
- Summer of '42 runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Summer of '42?
- In United States, Summer of '42 is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
