Movie Review: Big Boys

Teenager Jamie (Isaac Krasner) couldn’t be more different from his older brother Will (Taj Cross) if he tried. Will is outgoing, a little rebellious, into sports, thin, and conventionally attractive while Jamie is shy, risk-averse, into gourmet cooking, and overweight. Nevertheless, they are brothers, and though they certainly don’t qualify as best friends they still share a brotherly bond, so Jamie is excited to go on a camping trip with Will and his favorite cousin Allie (Dora Madison). That is until he learns that she will be bringing along her new college boyfriend Dan (David Johnson III), who he fears will detract from their time together.

His mother Nicole (Emily Deschanel) convinces him to go anyway, and on the way up he gets the feeling that Dan doesn’t like him, but that turns out to be the result of his own insecurities and before long the two begin to become friends. But Jamie is at that age where he is just beginning to figure himself out and he unexpectedly finds himself developing a crush on the handsome, stocky newcomer, causing him even more emotional distress than usual. This is not helped by his brother’s insistence that the pair of them try to court two girls they met by the camp’s lake.

Anyone that’s had to deal with similar feelings to Jamie’s will feel their heart melt watching Krasner’s awkward and endearing performance. He perfectly captures the yearning loneliness that can accompany the knowledge of one’s own otherness and how much of a struggle it can be for some of us to love ourselves as we are. Johnson charms as the love interest, making it easy to believe that both Allie and Jamie would be drawn to him. Rounding out the main cast, Madison and Cross both also give convincing performances in their roles, with the whole cast sharing an easy and natural-seeming chemistry that sells their relationships to one another.

Making his feature debut, writer / director Corey Sherman has crafted a small-scale delight of a film. The characters, situations, world, and emotions all feel real and will likely resonate strongly for many viewers. Scenes of cringe comedy are well-mixed with moments of genuine pathos that can sometimes floor the audience, like when teen Erika (Marion Van Cuyck) reveals that she expects and understands that most boys will prefer her “prettier” friend Quinn (Emma Broz), a confession that is framed and delivered perfectly to break the hurt of anyone who’s ever felt the same way. Big Boys is a sweet story of growing up, learning who you are, and how to accept it that will win over most who watch it. ★★★★