A good comedy is hard to come by. So much so, that whenever a Hollywood comedy gets released, there's pressure from cinephiles and journalists to support it, with the hope being that it will lead to more being made.
This is a far cry from the 2000s and early 2010s, when comedies were massive earners at the box office and quote machines for generations of teens. We're not here to say that Snack Shack is the second coming of Superbad or anything, but the coming-of-age comedy is absolutely one of the best films you haven't seen in 2024. And it's headed to streaming.
Snack Shack will be streaming September 3
Snack Shack, written and directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier, will be added to Max on September 3. The timing could not be more perfect, as the film the highs and lows of the summer, as seen through the eyes of two teenage boys, Conor (A.J. Carter) and Moose (Gabriel LaBelle).
Snack Shack takes place in 1991 Nebraska City, and sees these two navigate the complications of having a third friend, a girl named Brooke (Mika Abdalla), enter the frame. Rehmeier based the film on his own experiences growing up, in particular his summer job at community pool snack shack.
The film doesn't go for the zaniness or absurdity of, say Porky's (1982) or even Booksmart (2019), but it manages to skillfully blend sincere, coming of age drama with hilariously relatable situations.
The film deftly balances drama and awkward comedy
The sense of time and place is communicated without being cringey, and the main cast are superb in roles that could have easily come across as cliched.
Gabriel LaBelle, in particular, is building a resume as one of the best young actors working. He proved he could play awkward and sincere in The Fabelmans (2022), but Snack Shack sees him play a teen who is more charismatic and occasionally more manipulative.
Labor Day marks the end of the summer, but give Snack Shack a spin if you haven't already. It's an excellent reminder of why summer can be so fun, and why it can be so frustrating.