Despite its Dubious Premise, ‘Summer of 69’ Delivers Great Laughs

In Jillian Bell’s directorial debut Summer of 69, high school senior Abby Flores (Sam Morelos) is crushing on Max (Matt Cornett), who’s confident and seemingly has his life together. “Wouldn’t it great to kiss him?,” she muses. Maybe she could even lose her virginity to the guy. She’s been dreaming about “V day,” in fact. So when Abby, played with offbeat perfection by Morelos (That ’90s Show), discovers that Max broke up with his girlfriend, she makes a perfectly logical decision: dive into Slut Training 101. Her term. Not ours.

That’s the hook in Hulu’s new charming coming-of-age comedy, which finds Max hiring an exotic dancer (SNL’s Chloe Fineman) to teach her how to seduce her longtime crush, preferably before graduation. Bell doles out a bevy of cringeworthy moments, making it an immediate go-to for fans of teen flicks and the coming-of-age genre.

Co-written by Bell, Jules Byrne and Liz Nico, the solid supporting cast—Nicole Byer, Paula Pell, Liza Koshy, Natalie Morales, and Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)— does a fine job buoying the film. While the premise is not entirely realistic or feasible, the chemistry between Abby and Fineman’s stripper, amusingly named Santa Monica, hits the mark. The actors have flawless onscreen chemistry, making Summer of 69 a rare treat.

If you’re wondering about the title, this film does not take place in 1969. It’s referring to some gossip Abby overheard—from the school’s athletic mascot, of all people — about how Max loves to, well, 69. Not sure why the girl wouldn’t want to start with a kiss, but it’s quirky and serves the offbeat plot, which eventually leads Abby to a struggling club featuring exotic dancers where Santa Monica has dreams of her own. Sneaking into the club is easy for Abby, and she’s immediately wowed by Santa Monica’s skills. In a desperate attempt to accomplish her mission, Abby tells the dancer that she is willing to pay her nearly $20,000 from money she earned online, where gamers pay her to watch her expertly maneuver through video games.

The result becomes a kind of My Fair Lady-adjacent film by way of 2003’s The Shape of Things, recycling tropes but also fulfilling a certain craving. At times, the film feels like a callback to ’80s films such as Weird Science, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. Those seminal films serve up a befuddled protagonist we can root for. In Summer of 69, we get two of those characters, Abby and Santa Monica. And it’s the latter who emerges as the more interesting figure.

That’s because the writers, intentionally or unintentionally, made the adults more intriguing than the teenagers. We can feel the groovy vibe among the exotic dancers: Paula Pell—a sharp writer for SNL—stands out as propreitor Betty, who wants to sell the joint and return to dancing, regardless of her age. This fact never tanks the movie. It just makes it a different one than you might expect.

Have Stripper, Will Mature Quickly

High jinks and buffoonery unravel in ways that are more convenient to the writers’ imagination than reality, but it’s genuinely amusing to watch all this play out. At one point, Abby and Santa Monica head into a sex shop; Bell, always a fun actress, is behind the counter doling out bon mots. Other sojourns into the high schoolers’ world feel similar to scenes we’ve all experienced before, but Morelos holds her own, proving she can lead — or in this case, co-lead — a major picture.

But it’s Fineman who truly wins us over. The SNL actress has appeared in many films and TV shows, including Laid, Father of the Bride and Search Party. It would be interesting to see how this endeavor may have played out if it revolved around the character of Santa Monica, but the bond that both leads share —on screen as actors and between their characters —becomes one of the most appealing aspects of Summer of 69.

This wouldn’t be a coming-of-age film without life lessons, and both Abby and Santa Monica get their share. Friendships, trust, and maturity are some of the themes explored, but the real emotion revolves around believing in yourself and standing up for what you believe. But despite a far-fetched premise, the acting is sharp, and the story delivers laughs. That’s not a bad position to be in. Summer of 69 premieres on Hulu May 9. Watch the trailer below.