There’s a specific corner of late-‘70s cinema that exists in the foggy limbo between Grease and disco-era afterschool specials, and Almost Summer parks itself there like a bored lifeguard waiting for a shift change. It’s not quite a comedy, not quite a drama, and not quite interesting enough to be either. But bless its bellbottomed heart — it really tries.
If you’ve ever wondered what a high school student council election would look like if directed by someone who thought Watergate was a high school prank gone too far, this is your movie.
The Plot (Such As It Is)
We’re in sunny Southern California — a world of feathered hair, crop tops, and enough white denim to trigger a corneal meltdown. The story centers around a high school student council election, and the power plays, betrayals, and moral crises that ensue. Think Election (1999), but with way less cynicism, far more feathered bangs, and zero memorable lines.
The main manipulator is Bobby DeVito (played by Bruno Kirby), a pint-sized political operator who could’ve run Nixon’s reelection campaign if he were taller and had a driver’s license. Bobby convinces his buddy Darryl (Thomas Carter) to run for president just to split the vote and let Bobby’s ex-girlfriend win — because nothing says “emotional maturity” like weaponizing elections to settle romantic vendettas.
But of course, Darryl starts to enjoy the power. He’s Black, charismatic, and actually cares about school issues. Suddenly, Bobby’s little scheme turns into a full-blown social crisis. There’s backstabbing, locker room speeches, awkward beach scenes, and a prom finale that feels like it was stapled on for contractual reasons.
Bruno Kirby: The Carl Rove of High School
Kirby, in what is essentially his big break before When Harry Met Sally, is like a walking nicotine habit. His Bobby is sleazy, scheming, and smug — basically the kind of guy who would cheat on a math test, sell the answers to someone else, and then rat them out for profit.
And yet, he’s the most alive thing in the movie. Everyone else seems to be drifting through scenes like they’re waiting for craft services to call lunch. Kirby brings actual energy to the role, even if the script forces him to deliver lines like, “You gotta win hearts and lockers, baby!”
The Supporting Cast: Faces That Would Age into Sitcoms
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Thomas Carter as Darryl brings earnestness to his role, playing the token “good guy” candidate who stumbles into politics the way most people stumble into Amway.
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Lee Purcell as Christine, the ex-girlfriend turned candidate, exists to wear sundresses and look vaguely betrayed. She’s the most underwritten “smart girl” in a decade full of them.
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Kevin (Michael) Margolin shows up as the moral conscience, but mostly just looks like a substitute geometry teacher trapped in a teen body.
Everyone’s acting like they’re in a different show — which is fitting, since the whole thing feels like it could have been a two-part pilot for a Welcome Back, Kotter spin-off.
Tone Confusion: Political Satire or Pool Party Filler?
The film wants to say something about popularity, politics, and social justice. But it also wants to be a teen comedy with beach volleyball and make-out scenes. The result is a tonal mash-up that’s about as smooth as sandpaper in your underpants.
One moment we’re talking about the importance of minority representation in student government. The next, we’re ogling girls in tube tops. Pick a lane, Almost Summer — either aim for satire, or crank up the disco and call it Beach Blanket Caucus.
High School Politics = World-Altering Drama
Look, I get it. High school elections felt important. But this movie treats them like a small-scale Watergate scandal crossed with The West Wing. There are secret meetings, double-crosses, and speeches about “issues” that include vending machine access and better lunch menus.
You keep waiting for someone to get whacked behind the gym or for a deep throat informant to emerge from the janitor’s closet.
But no, the biggest scandal is Bobby’s manipulation of the vote and Darryl’s loss of innocence. And a punch at prom.
Aged Like Milk Left in a Locker
Visually, the movie is drenched in beige lighting and clunky editing. The wardrobe looks like the cast raided a JCPenney catalog left out in the sun. Everything about it screams “TV pilot rejected by NBC in 1977.”
Even the music is forgettable. And this is a movie from the Grease era! Where are the songs? The needle drops? The dance montages? Instead, we get slow-motion pensive walking and the occasional saxophone as someone stares out at the surf, contemplating…student council?
Final Thoughts: More Yearbook Than Year-defining
Almost Summer isn’t terrible — but it’s not particularly memorable either. It’s like that one elective you took senior year because it sounded easy, and then forgot about until someone mentioned it at your 20-year reunion.
It’s full of noble attempts at depth, but delivered with all the weight of a substitute teacher trying to explain civics through interpretive dance.
And yet, there’s something kind of charming about its earnestness. It tries. Really hard. Like a C+ student who adds glitter to their science project because the baking soda volcano didn’t erupt.
Final Grade: 5 Out of 10 Feathers in Your Farrah Fawcett Hairdo
Not quite good. Not quite bad. But undeniably, unmistakably… almost. Just like the title says.