toot toot Teen movies have always been a "guilty pleasure" that with time I've learned to ditch the guilty, and genuinely enjoy them full on. So, when I found this film, it seemed like a good watch. Original? Not really, but it didn't matter. Obviously, my expectations weren't set up high, but Jesus Christ, this movie failed to even reach a certain point of quality. Alright, so, the goals they had set up for their "summer of yes" were fulfilled in the first half hour! Yes, conflicts ensued, but they were terribly timed. Film makers are allowed to do as they please, seeing that film making is a form of art, but in order for that "art" to be good, you do have to follow some rules of your craft. I just didn't see any of them being executed in this movie. The cinematography and screenplay were alright, but compared to other young adult films of the same year, it falls short. To me, the only redeemable thing were the characters. Nora, Lion, Spice, and Conch (yes, Conch) were fun to watch and seemed like cool people. Andy, on the other hand got a lot more screen time than he should have. He was not a nice person, and he was pretty selfish as well. Bad characteristics don't always make a bad character, but in this case, that doesn't apply. Moreover, the relationships that formed in the end were so artificial, and I want to say predictable, but I honestly didn't think they would dive straight into cliché dreamland, so I was a bit taken aback. And what kind of teen movie doesn't have a cool soundtrack?2/10

annushehrahim I can see what this movie was trying to do - a bright, fun and feel-good smart movie about a group of "nerds" graduating high school, who want to make up for all the experiences they missed in high school before they go to their respective ivy league colleges. Unfortunately, instead you got a 20% there movie that made me cringe more than it made me laugh. The characters were two dimensional, at best. It focused primarily on the least interesting character - in an attempt to give him some depth maybe? The two other guys, Lion and Spice, were completely overlooked - despite the fact that they both had a lot more potential than the main guy. As for the girl, her primarily role was that of a "woah she's actually hot!" nerd-girl-who-takes-her-glasses off. The plot was predictable, riddled with unrealistic and unnecessary moments, the dialogue didn't do anything. Most scenes were either cut too short for anything to be developed, or developed so far that it wasn't even satirical or funny; it was just overkill. "Good kids" treads on the coming-of-age, feel-good youth high school movie - only without any nuance, any likable characters, any ability to resonate with an audience.

olikersh This movie treads the same ground as countless other teen summer comedies only it does it considerably worse. The characters manage to be both 2 dimensional and thoroughly unlikable, each scenes drifts into another with no real sense of purpose or momentum and so much of it is worthy of being cut you would struggle to make this into a reasonable short film. There is an underlying sense of bitterness from the writer/director across this film and everything in it just seems lazy. Most of the actors are fine with the very little they are given but don't be surprised if you find yourself 20 minutes into this film feeling like its been more than an hour. If somebody spent money on this, they've wasted it.

A_Different_Drummer Writer/Director Chris McCoy was born in 1981 but, to all intents and purposes, he may as well have come from the 1960s, because, for all its pretense about edginess, the standards and values for this soggy teen coming-of-age story may as well have been plucked from a Doris Day/Rock Hudson romcom.Now, ordinarily this is the part of the review where I reassure the reader that, in spite of one of the worst scripts in recent memory, there are loads of other good things here to keep viewers enthralled and entertained.Sorry, that kind of happy ending only happens in movies, not in reviews of movies. Unlike fine wine, this one does not get better the more time you spend with it.The cast tries hard with the material they are given but sadly that is not enough. (The single exception being Zoey Deutch, who was perhaps the only thing worth watching in Vampire Academy and once again offers the only character worth following in this outing. Deutch has that rare mix of innocence, wisdom and sassiness, bringing to mind an early Diane Keaton. With more edge.) It is also astonishing how a film that tries (unsuccessfully) to base itself on sex has virtually none. This can't be a censorship thing because the other day I was re-reviewing 1978's Animal House (great film!) and that 40 year old flick had more raunch and nudity. So, once again this has to be a director/writer thing -- see comments above on this topic.The only one in the entire film who seems to be having more fun than Deutch is Ashley Judd playing a cougar who sets her sights on one of the young boys in the ensemble cast. You almost get the feeling that she waived her usual fee just to take the part.Judd and Deutch generally have a great time here. The audience, not so much. If it is entertainment you want, pick up a copy of Ferris Bueller or Emma Stone's Easy A.