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Hot Summer Nights

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2:24

Hot Summer Nights

R

Released Jul 27, 2018

1h 47m

Mystery & Thriller

Romance

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

46%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

An awkward teenager gets in over his head dealing drugs while falling for his business partner's enigmatic sister during one scorching summer in Cape Cod, Mass.

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Critics Consensus

Hot Summer Nights is easy on the eyes and clearly indebted to some great films, but its strengths -- including a charismatic young cast -- are often outweighed by its uninspired story.

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Tomris Laffly

Time Out

While Bynum captures the year of Terminator 2: Judgment Day and its transitional early-'90s fashions with melancholic vividness, his paper-thin story of minimal character development ultimately resolves to a shrug.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 8, 2018

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Kristen Lopez

Spectrum Culture

Hot Summer Nights will appease fans of Chalamet by his presence alone, but this is a movie that plays like a CW-infused take on the nostalgic drug drama.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 31, 2018

Full Review

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

AV Club

Hot Summer Nights is both groan-inducingly contrived and vapid, its talented young cast wasted on an incoherent script-less a web of betrayal, greed, and adolescent desire than a few dangling threads.

Rated: C

Jul 28, 2018

Full Review

Nyle Coleman

InSession Film

For everything Bynum gets wrong in the final act, he makes up for in fun and inventive storytelling in the first half.

Rated: B

May 9, 2024

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

615 Film

The Timothee Chalamet Experience rolls through town with A24's moody 90s teen drama Hot Summer Nights, or, Kewl Largo, where Goodfellas meets The Sandlot...

Feb 11, 2022

Full Review

Danielle Del Plato

Floated Alternative Culture Magazine

A twenty-second long sequence of a sticky and moist exchange of a lollipop is one of the most immersive sequences I have seen in some time.

Rated: 5/10

Dec 6, 2018

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Pedro Henrique C

Hot Summer Nights is a very well-developed version of the 90s, but I think A24 failed to represent some important elements of the time. Rating 4.0

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/17/25

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Viggo W

This movie so really beautiful and really calming, cute love and cool characters but i didnt really like the whole dramatic ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/25

Full Review

Rob A

A young Timothee Chalomet flashes potential here, but he's mostly stoic and quiet (and nerdy!) Maika Monroe was great, while Alex Roe and the supporting cast were just fine. Director Elijah Bynum spins a mostly dark, depressing yarn, perhaps intending it as a cautionary tale. According to the film's opening credits 'Summer Nights' is based on a true story. Sunshine and rainbows it's not, but if you like these particular stars (I do) it's worth a watch.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/28/25

Full Review

Myron K

The story is well told, but very fast-paced, which makes some parts seem choppy. Nevertheless, I find the actual love story authentic and playful. It might not resonate with 20- or 30-year-olds, but for those older, it resonates with a certain touch of nostalgia.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

Full Review

Ari J

I can't believe this film received such low ratings. "Hot Summer Nights" is a thrilling depiction of teenage love, fun, and the dark consequences of crime and greed gone horribly awry. The cinematography is wonderful, with vibrant visuals that brilliantly evoke the nostalgia of the 90s. The soundtrack is also fantastic. Thank you, Elijah Bynum for this craft!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/02/25

Full Review

Jack F

In my opinion this movie was amazing I love the thrill it gives you and the actual beauty of real love they captured everything perfectly.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

Full Review

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Elijah Bynum

Director

Timothée Chalamet

Daniel

Alex Roe

Hunter

Maika Monroe

McKayla

Maia Mitchell

Amy

Emory Cohen

Dex

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - Dating the Dealer's Sister

1:59

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - Hiding Drugs

1:48

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - Bathroom Kiss

2:40

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - Sharing a Lollipop

3:02

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - Their First Kiss

2:45

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - A Major Beatdown

2:28

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - Legendary Drug Dealer

2:38

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - Dangerous Drug Dealers

4:14

Hot Summer Nights: Official Clip - The Hottest Girl in Town

2:39

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Hot Summer Nights: Trailer 1

2:24

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Synopsis

An awkward teenager gets in over his head dealing drugs while falling for his business partner's enigmatic sister during one scorching summer in Cape Cod, Mass.

Director: Elijah Bynum
Producer: Dan Friedkin, Ryan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas
Screenwriter: Elijah Bynum
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Imperative Entertainment
Rating: R (Sexual References|Language Throughout|Drug Content|Some Strong Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Romance, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 27, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2018
Runtime: 1h 47m

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