Summer of '42

PG

Released Apr 9, 1971

1h 42m

Romance

List

79%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

72%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Teenage Herman Raucher (Gary Grimes), summering on Nantucket Island with his sex-obsessed pals Oscy (Jerry Houser) and Benji (Oliver Conant) during World War II, meets Dorothy (Jennifer O'Neill), a newlywed in her 20s whose husband is off at war. As his friends awkwardly attempt to woo girls their own age, Herman slowly befriends the older woman and finds himself becoming increasingly in love with her, until a sudden tragedy changes their lives forever.

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Summer of '42 is one of those rare films yon can't help liking simply for its aspirations which are so honest and open-minded.

Jun 2, 2020

Full Review

Margaret Hinxman

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Thanks to director Robert Mulligan and a largely unfamiliar cast it turns cut to be a delightful film.

Jun 2, 2020

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Summer of '42 has a large amount of charm and tenderness; it also has little dramatic economy and much eye-exhausting photography which translates to forced and artificial emphasis on a strungout story.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

TV Guide

People who actually recall 1942 will more greatly appreciate the waves of nostalgia that bathe this affectionate coming-of-age drama, set on a tiny island off New England.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 9, 2011

Full Review

Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Visually lyrical film romance also has problems with dubious views on teen sexuality.

Jan 4, 2011

Full Review

James Wegg

JWR

Rated: 4/5

Jan 9, 2006

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Cyril Joyce A

when you like someone and she is already married thats why you two are not able to be together and this is movie about, you have endearment to someone, reciprocated but forbidden and the fact it's still forbidden.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/15/23

Full Review

Iron Boy W

love it i hope they make one day a true sequel to it where dorothy return

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/25/23

Full Review

dave s

In Robert Mulligan's Summer of '42, Gary Grimes plays Hermie, a 15-year-old who is spending his summer on Nantucket Island with a couple of friends, wasting their days dreaming about girls and the mysteries they have to offer. Over time, Hermie develops a relationship with the beautiful but lonely Dorothy (Jennifer O'Neill), a young woman whose husband was been sent to war. Yes, the film feels dated at times (the catchy but repetitive Michel Legrand music score, the outdated use of quick zooms, etc…) and much of the acting feels awkward, but the movie is effective in making one nostalgic for a place and time that most have never experienced, thanks primarily to its meticulous attention to detail, and the universal theme of the need to be wanted is something most can relate to. Despite its flaws, the final twenty minutes are a masterclass in subtlety and restraint and will tug at the emotions of even the most hardened viewer.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

delysid d

i hate romance and child actors but this movie really grooved me

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Not a bad movie that is dated now about some kids coming of age on an island off of Maine at the start of WWII. It deals with one's infatuation of a very young wife whose husband just left to go off to war. (People got married at 18-19 back then even college kids, my great uncle lived in a married dorm).

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

We've all had...a summer of '42 of sorts during our youth. That one point in time where we experienced freedom, expression, and even love. This story involves a young man, Herman in a trio of best friends on Nantucket Island. World War II is still going on but this is the more quiet, peaceful side of things with the beach, swimming etc An older woman named Dorothy catches his eye while living in a beach house. She's waiting for her husband while he's off to war. Herman and Dorothy end up becoming rather close over time. He starts to fall deeply in love with her but it's only when a big tragedy starts to alter things drastically. The movie spends a lot of time with these young boys eager to make it to manhood. The crux of this whole thing doesn't happen until towards the very end. By then the mood changes so much. The two leads pretty much let the emotions speak for themselves of how they're feeling. Director Robert Mulligan makes the aspirations honest and open-minded. He lets the viewer analyze things without resorting to sleazy teen antics. The long glances expressed allow the emotions to be absorbed. As teens we are in such a rush to grow up, for men the journey to manhood is tough and most tend to make it a big deal, the first experience may not be all it's cracked up to be, we have the rest of our lives to better understand love and other grown up elements, for everything we take with us we always leave something behind, maybe in a sense we can avoid the senseless tragedies in life The two leads are very good acting mature as as they can. The summer can prove life changing even if it ends in heartache.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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Robert Mulligan

Director

Gary Grimes

Hermie

Jennifer O'Neill

Dorothy

Jerry Houser

Oscy

Oliver Conant

Benjie

Katherine Allentuck

Aggie

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Synopsis

Teenage Herman Raucher (Gary Grimes), summering on Nantucket Island with his sex-obsessed pals Oscy (Jerry Houser) and Benji (Oliver Conant) during World War II, meets Dorothy (Jennifer O'Neill), a newlywed in her 20s whose husband is off at war. As his friends awkwardly attempt to woo girls their own age, Herman slowly befriends the older woman and finds himself becoming increasingly in love with her, until a sudden tragedy changes their lives forever.

Director: Robert Mulligan
Screenwriter: Herman Raucher
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 9, 1971, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 42m

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