In an era where coming of age, and young adult content in general, is dwindling Snack Shack is a welcome addition to the genre. Growing up, stories like Now and Then, Almost Famous, and Dazed and Confused were incredibly influential. They were stories about young people I weirdly related to even though they were from a different generation. This is the same charm I found when watching this film.

Snack Shack tells the story of two best friends, A.J. (Conor Sherry), and Moose (Gabriel LaBelle) who are 90s kid hustlers. If you ask any kid growing up in the 90s we had so many jobs from mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, painting house numbers on curbs, you name it. These two friends are always scheming for their next big business plan to skyrocket them into the future. Their latest idea? Putting in a bid for the community pool Snack Shack to have a summer job and make a lot of dough.

SNACK SHACK CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF LIFE IN ANOTHER TIME

Snack Shack is written and directed by Adam Rehmeier (Dinner in America) and feels like a love letter to the 90s. Every character feels like someone I know and relate to. Nick Robinson (A Teacher) plays Shane who is an older brother figure to A.J. His advice, kindness, and warmth are so necessary for an understood teen. This is a character that is often forgotten in modern Young Adult content.

The chemistry between Sherry and LaBelle is outstanding. I truly believed in their friendship and without it, this film wouldn’t work. I enjoyed watching these characters navigate their world. They’re 14-year-old boys who have to navigate life changes, their friendship dynamic, and, of course, girls. Snack Shack is laugh-out-loud funny and reminds me how silly young people look cussing. We all did it. We all looked dumb. It’s also not often that you get to see a coming-of-age story through the eyes of young men that isn’t fully tragic like Stand By Me or The Outsiders. It’s incredibly important for young people to see themselves in all these stories.

If you want to check out Snack Shack for yourself the film is coming to theaters on Friday, March 15, 2024!

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