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Set in the summer of 1991, 14-year-old best friends AJ, played by Conor Sherry (“The Devil You Know,” “The Terminal List”), and Moose, played by Gabriel LaBelle (“The Fabelmans,” “American Gigolo (2022)”), land themselves in hot water with their parents after their latest money-making scheme, secretly fermenting beer in their basement, is exposed. Determined to still make money in a more acceptable manner, they decide to purchase the rights to run the snack shack at the local pool for the summer. Said local pool is also where their surrogate older brother figure Shane, played by Nick Robinson (“Jurassic World,” “Love, Simon”), works as a lifeguard, and AJ’s summertime next door crush Brooke, played by Mika Abdalla (“Project Mc²,” “Sex Appeal”), also works as a lifeguard as well.
Rehmeier seems like he’s almost designed this film from its inception as a tribute to not just the era of the 90s, but the feelings that can be elicited from that very specific early teenaged period of one's life. AJ and Moose are clearly best friends, but they also beat the hell out of each other and call each other the most vulgar insults imaginable. It’s the kind of bond that can only exist at that specific time in someone’s life, and Sherry and LaBelle embody these roles perfectly. Sherry keeps AJ from feeling like a complete pushover, while still making him the meeker, more lovable one of the duo. Despite being fresh off a role as the quiet, meek Sammy Spielberg in “The Fabelmans”, LaBelle is gloriously crude and foul-mouthed, channeling the kind of charming dirtbag energy last seen with performers like Vince Vaughn or Bill Murray.
Robinson also works fantastically as the idealized portrait of the local town golden boy/older brother figure so many remember from their small-town childhoods, and Abdalla manages to pull off the “girl-next-door" angle without feeling infantilized or objectified. They’re both also great examples of one of the film’s oddest and greatest strengths: weaponized, charm infused cursing. Hearing Brooke constantly refer to AJ as “shit pig” or the almost melodic way AJ and Moose talk to each other, with virtually every other word being some kind of four letter-expletive, not only creates a vivid picture of the time-period, but also allows Rehmeier to craft an almost Tarantino-esque level of flow. The dialogue may be great, but the overall plot does follow plenty of the same beats seen in numerous other teen coming of age movies, leading to a feeling of simplicity, even as it's being performed by some fantastic actors.
It also manages to create an effective semblance of the era, with just enough touch-ups to let anyone remember this period through rose-tinted glasses. Everything from the carpets to the handrails on stairs to the way the pools and shack look feels ripped right out of the time in the best way possible. It’s honestly impressive given the film’s low budget that it was able to effectively recreate the feeling so well, especially given the small-town setting and large number of interiors. A musical score by Keegan DeWitt (“Hearts Beat Loud,” “Her Smell”) keeps things lively and bubbling along, adding a rat-a-tat feeling to AJ and Moose’s schemes and the shack’s busiest days.
For those looking for a fun throwback to the era of 90s foul-mouthed, heart on its sleeve comedies, “Snack Shack” will absolutely be the perfect summertime treat. Sherry and LaBelle absolutely run away with the picture, and the near perfect feeling recreation of the period means that this is a simple and sweet treat that doesn’t reinvent the wheel but does make rolling it a blast. 4.5/5
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