Kamurai
Nov 20, 2020
7/10
Really good watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend.
(Was excited to see there is a sequel)
A "troupe of misfits", "coming of age" story that is very well produced. Disney likes to push the "throw enough money at it" concept, but a good movie / show / franchise doesn't come together without a good cast that works well together. This movie has a fun cast that really embodies their characters.
Overall humor is good, but it's about a California beach for privileged people, so you can only do so much with it. They specifically had to use a group of characters that "don't belong there", and that's all based on a California inside joke of the "valley" now being a place where poor (average) people live.
A movie where "ha ha, you don't even have a butler" could be a conceivable joke is never going to be great unless that is the entire focal point of the movie ("Would You Rather", "Knives Out", "Paradise Falls"), and even then it needs both unique and great itself.
This might be great for younger audiences, but most adults are likely to go, "Sure, that was good" and then never think about it again.