Funny as hell while still packing an emotional punch, Snack Shack is a delightful coming-of-age movie.
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There's been a sea change in coming-of-age movies recently. While the genre has been popular for decades, it's gone through a number of ebbs and flows. In the late 70s and early 80s most coming-of-age movies were sex comedies or wild R-rated romps with a bunch of rambunctious youth not learning anything. In the mid to late eighties they morphed into comedic melodramas thanks to John Hughes. In the 90s they were predominantly aimed at young girls and focused on contests/bets with hot young actors. In the 2000s they shifted heavily towards dramas with a couple of comedic standouts. The 2010s coming-of-age movies are almost all dramedies with actors that are now competing for Oscars. And in 2020...they're doing whatever the hell they want. Which means we get movies that might as well be cartoons like Bottoms, dream-like reflections like I Saw the TV Glow and a movie that drifts between crime movie energy and teen melodrama on a dime. That's today's movie Snack Shack.
The Setup
Taking place in 1991, the movie follows two 14 year-old friends A.J. and Moose, who are constantly scheming to get rich by betting at the track or selling home-brewed beer. But when all of the fun gets shut down by their parents and the duo is asked to find summer jobs, they put in a bid to run the snack shack at the local pool. A pool where a new girl, Brooke has just gotten a job as a lifeguard, much to A.J. and Moose's delight.
I love this movie. There's a lot of reasons why, but I think one of the biggest reasons is that it hides its genre so well. One of my hang-ups with a lot of coming-of-age or teen movies is that they lay on the emotional elements really thick. This can be done with voice-over narration from the lead character., pensive and nostalgic camera work, and music choices that try to highlight that this moment means something. I swear half of the movies in this genre preface themselves as "the year everything changed" or "here's how we got here." It can work, but it also means the movie has a lot to live up to and it usually requires a great script or an incredible charismatic lead performance to work. The 2010s got this really right by the way because they were flying in Emma Stone, Hailee Steinfeld and Saoirse Ronan (aka a solid list of Oscar nominees and winners) for these.
Snack Shack on the other hand, feels like a buddy crime comedy for the first 20-30 minutes before it settles into a more balanced approach. Which is all helped thanks to...
Great Visual Language
One of my favorite things about this movie is that the shots/edits are motivated. The cold open drops the audience in media res with AJ and Moose at a racing track where they're smoking cigarettes and then arguing about whether to place another bet and which dog it should be on. Quick edits and camera moves back and forth between the two during this whole scene and race and then they win and wait...where are they running? Who is this guy driving them. Cut to a schoolbus where a teacher is waiting for them and these two act like they just pulled off a heist. Soderbergh level editing for a cold open to demonstrate this duo's energy and it basically doesn't let up for 20 minutes.
Whatever energy the scene is trying to craft, is perfectly captured by the visuals which drift from pensive to aggressive depending on the needs of the scene. So later when A.J. and his older friend Shane are enjoying a family barbeque, the camera moves around gently to give the audience a feel for the dynamics are play before showing Shane and the dads "talking shop" around the grill with A.J. barely in frame and basically unnoticed until he speaks.
This really puts the audience in the boys' headspace and provides some great dynamic contrast throughout the film.
A Slow Burn
Another reason this movie appealed to me is that underplays the importance of individual moments, scenes and characters until it can really back a punch. Based on the first 15 minutes for instance, you might not have a firm grasp on who the main character is. Both because Moose is omnipresent, but also because he hasn't been introduced as "the guy this world centers around." Which is actually a nice hint of where the movie is going thematically because for most of the film A.J. is a passive actor in his own life.
A.J. isn't directionless, but he's not proactive, and as he gets more proactive the movie becomes more and more about him and his relationships, which means if anything happens in said relationships they pack more weight. It's really clever and also means when the movie does pull out the emotional big guns, it really really works.
Wild Swings in Energy (In A Good Way!)
One of the reasons coming-of-age movies work so well is that the wild swings in mood (i.e. shifting from elation to depression) make a lot more sense when your brain is still developing. So when you watch someone make a stupid decision you wouldn't make today, you know why.
What I think this movie captures so well are how those wild swings feel for the person living through them. As an example, when A.J. and Moose basically con their way into draining their savings for a bid on the snack shack, it's played high energy, lots of fun. And then they make the pitch and they're awkward and basically laughed out of city hall for their bid. Cut to A.J. being chewed out by his parents who may as well be cartoon characters pouring salt in the wound. This all feels manic and intense because of course it does.
What I think this movie captures so well are how those wild swings feel for the person living through them. As an example, when A.J. and Moose basically con their way into draining their savings for a bid on the snack shack, it's played high energy, lots of fun. And then they make the pitch and they're awkward and basically laughed out of city hall for their bid. Cut to A.J. being chewed out by his parents who may as well be cartoon characters pouring salt in the wound. This all feels manic and intense because of course it does.
But later, when A.J. hits a rough patch, everyone and everything around him softens as well including his parents. Which is quickly upended when A.J. realizes he made a dumb mistake.
And then we're back to this con man comedy where our lead two are 14 year old boys who chug beers before they start cussing out a bunch of children in line for candy and chips. It's a truly teenage energy.
The Verdict: Delightful
Funny as hell while still packing an emotional punch, Snack Shack is a delightful coming-of-age movie. 8/10
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