Review by Benjamin Poole
Directed by: Corey Sherman
Starring: Isaac Krasner, David Johnson III, Dora Madison, Taj Cross, Emily Deschanel
Perennial late summer bop it undoubtedly is, who can accept the refrain of Jennifer Paige's 1998 international hit 'Crush' with its melodic insistence that the surging emotions the protagonist experiences is "just" a "little" crush: the adverb has no business modifying to such diminution, and the regal enormity of infatuation is likewise ill served by the condensing adjective. Of course, this was the '90s, and irony predominates: Jennifer goes on to sardonically intone that "it's not like everything I do depends on you" (incidentally, the song was co-written by Mark Mueller, who did the theme tunes for both Duck Tales and [Ch Ch Ch] Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers; if you played either in the club it would Go Off...), the C# minor key further imbuing the lyrics with lachrymose yearning... Breezy, human and poppy, Corey Sherman's wonderful coming of age comedy Big Boys is text which likewise recognises the imperial power of the crush: a date with destiny which fills you tip to toe with a burning, unsolicited purpose.
We are introduced to Jamie (Isaac Krasner, a gem) via his domestic set up. A 14-year-old boy, Jamie is an outsider: larger framed, earnest, caring; all features which mark him out as at worst a victim, at best never part of the crowd (look, I don't make the rules: kids are desperate to fit in and some are cruel about it). What impresses so much about the early stages of Big Boys (Sherman's debut feature) is the confidence of the pacing. There's no rush as we follow Jamie in deliberate, largely dialogue free sequences wherein he searches for a medical kit for a forthcoming camping trip, watches his bear couple neighbours with interest, and eats alone. His older brother Will (Taj Cross) is a bit of a dick, signified in a small scene where he does that thing insecure boys do where they wave about a butterfly knife and it looks embarrassing to everyone but them, and in response to Jamie looking for a First Aid kit Will states, apropos of nothing, that "the only medical emergency will be me killing you." Alright, Tyler Rake!
Jamie just accepts the bravado, perhaps sensitive to Will's own quiet desperation about his masculinity and shifting place in the world. In contrast to Paige's masterpiece of wry hyperbole, Sherman's film functions within this sort of gentle and kind subtlety, a rarity in coming-of-age cinema and also (it's true) in the hateful bin-fire of modern life. Jamie's magnanimity is just as well, as he is about to embark with Will and his slightly older cousin Allie (Dora Madison) on a camping trip upstate. His grace is rippled, however, by the unwelcome news that Allie's new boyfriend Dan (David Johnson III) is coming along for the ride, too. In a moment of pristine awkwardness which sets the tone of Big Boys' perfectly calibrated cringe humour, upon meeting Dan, Jamie takes the opportunity to explain how a newly wed couple were mauled to death by a black bear. Sherman holds the ensuing obdurate silence for a skin crawling beat.
As the trip ensues, Sherman explores masculine presentations through the interactions of handsome alpha Dan, try-hard Will and dear Jamie, with conversations which emptily focus on sport (Will makes a point of Jamie's disinterest, as if this makes Jamie less of a person with XY chromosomes) and face saving, ill-advised attempts at erecting a tent/chatting up some similarly adolescent female campers. Will is preoccupied with notions of "respect" and the need to "hook up," while Jamie develops interests of his own regarding the inappropriately aged and inconveniently straight Dan... It isn't quite love at first sight, because, after all, by its very nature a crush is more about the smitten than the subject. But Dan is kind, a male influence who shows Jamie care and attention. Is it any wonder that our boy starts to feel things for this sigma who can start fires, has arms like tree trunks and shoots Will's insults down? When mocking Jamie's burgers (like me when I went camping last year, Jamie packed his own spices for cooking: an interest signified by a picture of the great Anthony Bourdain in Jamie's room. Big Boys is full of little details like this), Dan asks Will if he's a professional food critic- haha!
There's a lovely little dance sequence with Jamie just grooving to 'Only for Tonight' by Pearl Charles (sumptuous disco, straight on the playlist next to Jennifer Paige), showcasing the joy of being in someone's spotlight and the concurrent desire to perform in that glow. That's the excitement of the crush, but, seeing as Jamie is in the dare-not-speak-its-name stage of his gayness, he's about to experience the pain of it too. The brothers do meet up with the girls from earlier, but in moments of heart-breaking/toe-curling comedy Jamie fakes being really drunk to spare his potential paramour's feelings. He returns to the tent alone to conjure cottagey fantasies of Dan, which involve ersatz props... (in the morning a nonplussed Allie asks if someone ate one of the hotdogs raw- :O). Jamie's lack of social experience gives way to further mortifying interactions as the crush deepens.
Set in the liminal space of the campsite wherein situations are heightened by proximity and incapability, it's no spoiler that we're heading for some sort of climax, and whether it will be a confession, an unwanted advance or an outing is uncertain, but we are assured that whatever the outcome is it will be wince inducing. Mainly because in the same way that they are shown to care about each other we also care about these characters. I loved the largesse afforded to Will, who, from a different angle, could well have been the subject of the film himself (we don't see him "hook up" with Quinn, yet can imagine the disappointing, jejune fumbles). The camping trip is typical, and outwardly, nothing really happens... but from Jamie's perspective, where each action is loaded, each glance heavy with meaning, everything happens. Mueller has complete confidence in his tight cast, in the delicacy of his narrative. There is no exaggeration in his storytelling, and instead a devastatingly recognisable bildungsroman. Sweet natured, Big Boys is a testament to kindness, to human interaction and warmth: an authentic, convincing, and inspirational demonstration. Do I have a crush on Big Boys?!
Big Boys is in UK cinemas from August 29th.
