When you hear the words “summer of 69,” what comes to mind? Maybe it’s Bryan Adams' classic song from 1984. If not, at least the year might pop into your historical brain, given its monumental nature. Remember when we landed on the moon, hint hint? For the more mature audiences, “69” might illicit an entirely different response, like how Adam Sandler laughed upon hearing a certain page number inBilly Madison(1995). Two decades later, fellow comedianJillian Bell(Workaholics, Brittany Runs a Marathon) finds a certain thrill in the number as well, as it represents an infamous sex position, of course. In fact, her new Hulu movie — and feature directorial debut — is literally titledSummer of 69. MovieWeb recently caught up with her to learn more about her high school-centered project, and how she feels about viewers potentially tuning in thinking that the title represents something else entirely.
“I was thinking about that the other day. I’m like, ‘Will people think this is just a documentary on Vietnam or something?’ And then they’re in for a big surprise,” Bell told MovieWeb. “Honestly, I feel like what people know of it, there is still a surprise to it. I do feel it’s like, ‘Oh, you’re viewing it as a certain type of film that we’re used to seeing, of a sex/teen comedy,’ you know? And it’s not that. It sort of does a small detour and becomes about female friendship. I was like, ‘I think that’s the part I’m the most excited about. So if we can really amp that up, then I will be in.’ And Hulu and American High were all about that. And because of it, now I feel like we have something really, really special.”
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Capturing an “Authentic” ‘Summer of 69’ Experience
The lead actress ofSummer of 69, rising star Sam Morelos, also joined our interview with Bell and weighed in on how her real-lifehigh school experiencewasn’t too far off from her character’s emotional journey in the film. Morelos told us:
“I turned 19 on set, so the high school experience was very fresh. This was a year after I graduated high school, so, gone but not forgotten. Like, it was still a very fresh experience. It was interesting, though, because I never went to a school that had lockers. So I was like, ‘Oh, it’s like a high school, but like in the movies!’ But it was still very close to home. I mean, there’s a specific scene where Abby is on her phone, doing her homework, stalking [her crush] Max’s Instagram account, and I’ve done that so many times… It felt very authentic to what my high school experience was.”
Summer of 69is causing a stir on Hulu, having jumped straight to the top of the streamer’s chart, and gaining some incredibly positive reviews in the process. So much so, that many are questioning why the movie was not given a theatrical release. You can check it out now and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.
Summer of 69
