‘Snack Shack’ VOD Review
Stars: Conor Sherry, Gabriel LaBelle, Mika Abdalla, Nick Robinson | Written and Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier
Following the underseen Dinner In America, a punk-rock masterpiece with a heart of gold, writer/director Adam Carter Rehmeier crafts a nostalgic follow-up with Snack Shack. Set during the ‘90s summer, inseparable best friends A.J. (Conor Sherry) & Moose (Gabriel LaBelle) have a moneymaking plan to sell home-brewed beer. After that falls apart once their parents find out, the pair change plans to run the local pool’s snack shack. Those plans for financial success are put at risk when they both fall for effortlessly cool lifeguard, Brooke (Mika Abdalla).
The yin/yang of this friendship is well established early on, as A.J. acts cautiously with a mindset of quitting while he’s ahead, while Moose is willing to take risks for the potential victory. With his actions repeatedly disappointing his parents, A.J. is left fearing what many cinematic parents threaten – military school. Sherry terrifically captures the teen’s growth, as he becomes more confident upon realizing that he will gain nothing by staying frozen by fear.
After his breakout role as the Steven Spielberg insert in The Fabelmans, LaBelle takes a more raucous role as the outspoken character with money on his mind. While he delivers terrific comedic timing with the swears, he also captures the insecurities that lurk beneath this put-upon bravado. Despite their competing for Brooke’s affection, there is a touching friendship as the pair truly care for each other.
In lesser hands, Brooke could have felt like another entry into the “manic-pixie dream girl” archetype. Such pitfalls are avoided courtesy of the deft writing and Abdalla’s portrayal, instead capturing a girl unable to stay in one place for too long. With her constantly moving home due to her military father’s reassignments, all Brooke has to hold onto are the pictures she takes which memorialise the good times she momentarily had. Also involved is Shane (Nick Robinson), a friend who encourages A.J. to be his best self, while grappling with pressures from others’ expectations.
There is a willingness to let these kids be utterly messy as they indulge in underage drinking, excessive cursing, and partake in raunchy humour while making decisions which dismay their parents. It resembles a nostalgic haze through a summer long passed, while seamlessly transitioning into directions which are touching and intimate that hit impactfully. If Ed, Edd n’ Eddy was seen through the lens of Superbad, with shades of Adventureland in the mix, the fantastic result would be Snack Shack.
**** 4/5
Snack Shack is available to rent or buy on digital platforms now.
