To enjoy “Snack Shack,” you don’t have to be from Nebraska, but it certainly helps.
Stuffed with references to the state, circa 1991, the summer comedy shows how two enterprising teens turned a summer job at the swimming pool into their own financial windfall.
Written and directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, “Snack Shack” has plenty in common with other R-rated teen ventures. But this one is so packed with insider information (Kay Orr, anyone? Mannheim Steamroller, perhaps?), you’ll get an extra buzz if you’re in on the references.
Friends A.J. (Conor Sherry) and Moose (Gabriel LaBelle) overbid for the right to sell concessions at the local pool. Ƶ worry they’re going to lose their shirts but discover it’s a cash cow worth its weight in Runzas. While both have an interest in a new lifeguard (Mika Abdalla), they’ve also got plans that would overwhelm other 14- and 15-year-olds.
People are also reading…
Rehmeier relies on a certain word for much of the dialogue, makes many scenes seem extremely chaotic and gives parents the same kind of authoritarian vibe they’ve always gotten. But he also finds sweet moments that make “Snack Shack” worth visiting – even without its personalized hot dogs.
Shot in Nebraska City, Nebraska (where Rehmeier grew up), the film has moments that more than ring true. A nighttime swim, for example, is a classic that takes full advantage of its stunt performers’ talents. A friend home from the service (Nick Robinson) has enough mystery to make this more than a series of “Porky’s” laughs.
While Rehmeier’s retro cinematography isn’t quite as pointed as Alexander Payne’s in “The Holdovers,” it does suggest plenty of fare from the era. Sherry and LaBelle look sufficiently unfazed and Abdalla is enough of a lust object to make Phoebe Cates seem like, well, yesterday’s news.
Like “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Snack Shack” is a film that merits revisiting. Ten years from now, A.J. and Moose could be light years away from their teen identities, but they’d certainly be worth a summer reunion.
Rehmeier’s film is more fun than it has a right to be and a real spring surprise. It holds up in ways more ordinary summer vehicles never could.