‘Summer of 69’ Review : Pop Culture Leftovers

‘Summer of 69’ Review

April 23, 2025 7:51 pm |

Remember the good ole days of sex comedies at their peak of existence (late 90s/early 00s)? Summer of 69 isn’t a period piece like some may believe, but a Summer illuminated by the mission to perform the sexual act of 69ing. Jillian Bell’s directorial debut never quite reaches the heights of Superbad or American Pie, but it sure gives them a run for their money.

Starting off with a massive positive, Sam Morelos (That ’90s Show) is a perfect example of how you can flawlessly execute nerdy behavior with immature raunch through her character of Abby. She is brilliant in her role and her oddball (paid) relationship with stripper Santa Monica, played by Chloe Fineman (SNL) is hilarious to watch blossom. Where Abby’s mission is to learn how to 69, among other things, Santa Monica is about taking advantage of this presumably rich and gullible teenager to get enough money to buy a share in her club and ultimately save everyone’s job. While the arc of their story is very predictable for a raunchy comedy or even a coming of age film, it’s still a blast to watch play out.

Personally, some of the biggest laughs arrived when you’d least expect them. A number of which came from a secret relationship between a mascot and Abby, as we recognize that she’s been making transactions for gossip with them for a long, long while. This is where the key element of the plot comes into play, somehow, someway this mascot knows that Abby’s crush is obsessed with 69ing.

Abby’s crush Max played by Matt Cornett (High School Musical The Musical The Series) is understandably charming in his little time on screen outside of a dream sequence or two. As we get a little more familiar with him, it becomes more clear his intentions, as well as Abby’s. He appears to be a jock, but the question is – is he a stereotype?

Summer of 69 has a substantial supporting cast with varying degrees of screen time. Some truly utilize the minimal screentime such as Alex Moffat (SNL) as the club’s DJ or Natalie Morales (Language Lessons) as Santa Monica’s high school rival, while others suddenly fall entirely flat like Charlie Day (Fist Fight) as the big bad of the film. When in the club, the group of strippers hanging around are incredibly funny with Liza Koshy (Players), Nicole Byer (Nailed It) and Paula Pell (A.P. Bio) having a blast with Chloe Fineman’s Santa Monica.

Summer of 69 is a hysterical comedy to experience with a group of friends when it launches on Hulu, it’s a film that can get a lot of mileage from having a great audience surrounding you. While some of the jokes do completely miss and others just barely hit, enough of the humor lands perfectly, namely because of its impressive leading actors’ delivery. When it hits, you’ll be laughing your ass off and even when it doesn’t you’ll still be having a good time riding the nostalgia high of a bygone era of comedy.

Published Simultaneously on Cinefied.com