10 Movies To Check Out If You Liked 2013’s The Kings Of Summer

There’s just something about a great coming of age film that audiences seem to love. It is often a heartwarming story about adolescence that most moviegoers can relate to. That was certainly the case when it came to 2013’s The Kings of Summer, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Although it only grossed $1.4 million at the box office on a $1.5 million budget, those who have seen it have mostly enjoyed it. The story centers on a group of teenage boys who build a house in the woods with plans to leave their families and live there. Many of the actors and the director have all gone on to successful careers.

10 The Wackness (2008)

Released five years before The Kings of Summer, The Wackness is another coming of age tale. Fans of The Kings of Summer will find similarities thanks to the genre, though some of the other aspects are actually quite different. For example, The Wackness takes place in the bright lights of New York City rather than the quiet woods.

The plot follows a teen (Josh Peck) just before going to college as he sells weed throughout the city with his therapist (Sir Ben Kingsley). He forms a bond with his therapist’s stepdaughter (Olivia Thirlby) that is reminiscent of the romance from The Kings of Summer.

9 Hearts Beat Loud (2018)

Just because the film in question is a coming of age tale doesn’t mean that every recommended movie fits within that genre. Hearts Beats Loud is a comedy-drama focusing on music but fans of The Kings of Summer will recognize one of the main stars.

Nick Offerman, who plays Frank Toy (dad of the protagonist) in The Kings of Summer, is also the father in Hearts Beat Loud. This Sundance release sees him try to connect with his daughter through their shared love of music before she heads off to college.

8 Super 8 (2011)

The sci-fi genre is probably not one you would expect to see on a list like this. That being said, 2011’s Super 8 shares a surprising amount of qualities with The Kings of Summer. The main one is that it centers on a group of young teenagers on an adventure.

Of course, their story takes them somewhere far more dangerous. Super 8 is set in 1979 and sees those teens filming their own movie only to uncover an alien in their small town. J.J. Abrams directed and wrote this well-received release that featured many future stars.

7 Captain Fantastic (2016)

These days, Erin Moriarty is certainly most known for her role as Annie/Starlight on Amazon Prime’s The Boys. However, a lot of people first saw her in The Kings of Summer, where she portrays Kelly, the girl who the protagonist Joe Toy has a major crush on.

Moriarty takes on a similar role in Captain Fantastic as a short-lived love interest of one of the main characters. The film follows a father (Viggo Mortensen) who has lived with his kids in the wilderness but has to bring them to society after the death of his wife.

6 The Spectacular Now (2013)

The Kings of Summer wasn’t actually the only fantastic coming of age tale to hit theaters in 2013. It wasn’t even the only one at the Sundance Film Festival because it was joined by The Spectacular Now. It received even more critical acclaim at the iconic festival.

This story is a bit more serious and sad as it follows alcoholic Sutter Keeley (Miles Teller) as he falls in love with a nice girl named Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley). Many other future stars like Brie Larson and Kaitlyn Dever are part of this tremendous cast.

5 The Edge Of Seventeen (2016)

Once again, it’s the coming of age genre. Though there are plenty of great films released in that category, not many have topped The Edge of Seventeen in recent years. Like The Kings of Summer, it expertly blends rising young talents with veteran actors.

Getting its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the movie centers on Nadine Franklin (Hailee Steinfeld), a teen struggling after the death of her father. Her world gets turned upside down when her best friend (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her brother (Blake Jenner). To help cope, she forms a friendship with her teacher (Woody Harrelson).

4 The Way, Way Back (2013)

2013 was apparently the best year for these kinds of movies as yet another tremendous one is listed here. The Way, Way Back was also a shining Sundance Film Festival release and continues the trend on this list of taking place during the summer season.

This film puts the focus on introverted teenager Duncan (Liam James) as he heads on a vacation to Cape Cod with his mother (Toni Collette) and her abusive boyfriend (Steve Carell). While there, he befriends the manager of the water park (Sam Rockwell), who helps him through it all.

3 Stand By Me (1986)

The oldest film on this list by a long way, there’s a very good chance that Stand By Me played a major part in inspiring The Kings of Summer. You might not expect that considering this story is based on The Body, a novel written by famed horror author Stephen King.

However, Stand By Me fits the tone because it highlights a group of teenage friends who embark on a trip to the woods. In this case, though, they go on the hike to find the dead body of a missing kid. This classic was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award.

2 Kong: Skull Island (2017)

On paper, this is certainly the most unlikely entry on this list. The Kings of Summer is a small indie flick about teens while Kong: Skull Island is an epic monster movie about a giant ape set in 1973. However, this is all about the people involved in these films.

First, both The Kings of Summer and Kong: Skull Island are directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. They are his only two feature films, though he’s set to helm Metal Gear Solid. Vogt-Roberts also included Nick Robinson, Erin Moriarty, and Moisés Arias in a small scene here due to their starring roles in his first movie.

1 Love, Simon (2018)

Speaking of Nick Robinson, after his breakout performance in The Kings of Summer, he landed his biggest role a few years later as the lead in Love, Simon. Based on the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, it might mark the best performance of Robinson’s career.

In it, he plays Simon, a closeted high school teen who deals with issues in his home and school life while also trying to not to get outed as gay. He falls for an anonymous classmate who he bonds with online about both being closeted. The beloved film spawned a Hulu series Love, Victor, with Robinson acting as a narrator.

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