10 Movies You May Have Missed This Summer

A lot of movies came out this summer, so it’s understandable if you missed some of the really good ones. Maybe you only do superhero movies in the summer or maybe you couldn’t bring yourself to move from your house AC to movie theater. Whatever your excuse, here are the best movies you may have missed this summer.

'Hereditary'
Image via A24
'Hereditary'

It’s been a great year for summer films, not only for blockbusters, but also for smaller and otherwise under the radar films that debuted to great critical success—and for some, box office—success. It’s also been a surprisingly good summer for Netflix; both Set It Up and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before received positive critical and audience reactions, a step up from some of their less desirable work.

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The summer hasn’t been without disappointments, both financially and critically, though. The John Wick-inspired Hotel Artemis suffered bad reviews and a worse box office, Billionaire Boys Club had a great cast but unfortunately also starred a pre-#MeToo Kevin Spacey, so lack of promotion led to unmitigated box office disaster, and Slender Man ended up a bore because of the internal studio controversy leading up to its release.

Thankfully, there are plenty of positives to celebrate. This summer saw the rise of some new figures in film who will undoubtedly continue to churn out great work in the future. On the directing side of things, Ari Aster, Boots Riley, and Bo Burnham proved themselves to be strong cinematic voices with their well-received debuts. Acting-wise, Tessa Thompson cemented her reign in 2018 that started with Annihilation and continued with her role in Sorry To Bother You. Lakeith Stanfield proved that his talents for absurdity extend beyond Atlanta in Sorry To Bother You, further cementing his persona as the unlikely everyman. All of this new talent contributed to one of the better summers for film in recent years.

There were a lot of great under the radar gems this year. These are the best movies that you may have missed this summer.

Hereditary

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Director: Ari Aster

Starring: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne

A24 has been rapidly rising in profile since 2016’s Moonlight and 2017’s Lady Bird, but 2018’s Hereditary was still a surprise hit (it eventually outgrossed Lady Bird, previously their highest grossing movie). It’s also one of the best reviewed movies of the year. A supernatural family horror drama, Hereditary stars Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, and Milly Shapiro as a family both figuratively and literally haunted by the death of a grandmother that none of them particularly liked. Hereditary is one of the more punishing horror movies in recent memory, giving some nasty scares and truly upsetting plot developments that lead up to an unforgettable ending. Toni Collette is always great, but she’s especially great here, as is Alex Wolff, who gives a surprisingly remarkable performance. You won’t hear tongue clicks the same way after this movie.

Sorry To Bother You

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Director: Boots Riley

Starring: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun

Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Steven Yeun, Sorry To Bother You is a surreal comedy concerning a telemarketer who discovers that he can use his “white voice” to rise up in the ranks of his company, while his coworkers work to create a union. The movie takes a surreal approach to discussing the politics of corporations and unions, subject matter that would probably feel a lot more dry, otherwise. The absurd humor and incisive politics of this movie create a world that’s distinctly more madcap than ours, but also maybe all too similar in certain ways. There’s a third act twist that’s too wild to spoil—it really must be seen to be believed. The ending of this movie is also one for the ages; it’s bizarre and yet feels strangely perfect.

Support The Girls

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Director: Andrew Bujalski

Starring: Haley Lu Richardson, Regina Hall, Brooklyn Decker, Dylan Gelula

An unassuming indie comedy at first glance, Support The Girls is way better than it has any right being. From writer/director Andrew Bujalski, Support The Girls is ostensibly a workplace comedy about a day in the life of employees at a Hooters style restaurant known for its “boobs, brews, and big screens,” as one character notes. While this may seem like the synopsis for a movie starring Kevin James or Adam Sandler, it’s actually an empathetic, bracing comedy drama about the realities of having to work a job where you’re constantly disrespected. 

Regina Hall gives one of the best and most surprisingly layered performances of the year as Lisa, the restaurant manager, who must not only take care of her employees but must also deal with the irritable owner of the restaurant, the not-so-subtle racism present in the restaurant’s policies, and her own personal life. First time actor Shayna McHayle (better known as rapper Junglepussy) also gives an incredible performance as Lisa’s most reliable employee; every customer interaction she has drips with exasperation, but her performance quickly veers into heartfelt sincerity when she interacts with Lisa and her fellow coworkers, reinforcing the melancholy central theme of the movie: life in the working class is punishing, but at least it’s somewhat bearable when you have solidarity. 

The movie is written brilliantly, effectively satirizing the idea of corporate feminism while still supporting the women at the forefront of the story who are doing all they can to survive in a misogynist and capitalist society (the title of the movie itself is even a perfect pun that captures these dual ideas). Support The Girls is easily one of the smartest, most thought-provoking movies of the year so far.

Upgrade

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Director: Leigh Whannell

Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Betty Gabriel

One of the surprise modest hits of the year, Upgrade is the latest release from distribution company Blumhouse, which has ruled the horror movie scene the past few years thanks to big hits like the Purge movies and Get Out. Upgrade is a sci-fi action thriller that follows a man (Logan Marshall-Green) left paralyzed after a brutal mugging, who gets outfitted with an artificial intelligence implant that gives him superhuman strength and agility, allowing him to exact revenge against his muggers. Not unlike Robocop, it has garish violence coupled with energetic fight scenes. It’s a quick, nasty sci-fi thriller that brings up interesting questions about police surveillance, the ethics of artificial intelligence, and disability, while also managing to be an entertaining romp with solid special effects and a fun script.

Eighth Grade

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Director: Bo Burnham

Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Daniel Zolghadri

A surprise hit from comedian Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade is one of the best-reviewed movies of the summer. The film follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher) as she finishes her last week of eighth grade. While the premise might make it seem like your run of the mill coming of age movie, it’s the specifics of Eighth Grade that make it extraordinary. Not only is it harrowingly specific to a time period (2015-2017, given the presence of dabbing, the word “lit,” and children saying “Lebron James”) but it’s very specific to how a particular eighth grader could feel in this time period, given the ubiquitousness of social media. The movie refreshingly doesn’t paint social media as entirely evil, but just as a fact of life for middle schoolers, in both good and bad ways. Elsie Fisher is fantastic in the lead role, communicating the pure anxiety of being in middle school and not being entirely sure where you stand socially and whether o not things will ever get better. Indie film stalwart Josh Hamilton also gives a warm performance as Kayla’s father.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

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Director: Desiree Akhavan

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, Jennifer Ehle

The Miseducation of Cameron Post isn’t exactly the feel good movie of the summer, though you may find yourself laughing at it more than most summer comedies. Based on the YA novel of the same name, the movie follows the titular teenager Cameron Post (Chloe Grace Moretz) who, after getting caught making out with another girl, is sent to a Christian gay conversion therapy camp in 1992. While the premise is undoubtedly dark (and there are some truly upsetting moments), the movie mostly plays as a black comedy, as Cameron and her newfound friends deal with adults trying to fundamentally change what’s unchangeable. What’s truly great about this movie is how it humanizes not only the teenagers who are subjected to this harrowing emotional abuse, but also the adults who subject them to it, and how they legitimately think they’re doing the right thing, and how their unwitting abuse of these children backfires on them. John Gallagher, Jr. is especially harrowing as a camp counselor who is convinced he’s been successfully converted. The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a sobering, powerful, and often funny ode to queer resilience.

Hearts Beat Loud

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Director: Brett Haley

Starring: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Sasha Lane, Toni Collette

One of the most uplifting movies of the year, Hearts Beat Loud feels like a warm hug. The film follows Brooklyn record store owner Frank (Nick Offerman) as he bonds with his daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) one last time before she leaves for college by forming a band with her. What follows is a refreshingly light, uncomplicated drama about family, opportunity, and love. Nick Offerman has never been more subtle than he is here, as a caring father dealing with impending empty nest syndrome. There’s also a love story that’s played refreshingly straight (no pun intended) between Sam and artist Rose (Sasha Lane), without any of the tragedy or unnecessary drama that’s often found in gay relationships portrayed in film. Hearts Beat Loud is essentially a movie about kind people trying their hardest to be kind to each other, with some catchy indie pop added in for good measure.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

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Director: Morgan Neville

Starring: James Rogers, François Clemmons, Yo-Yo Ma

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is the surprise documentary hit of the year, and it’s easy to see why. It follows the life and legacy of Fred Rogers and his hit children’s TV show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. The documentary digs deep, exploring his childhood, his later life after the show ended, and the cultural impact he left. The film itself is appreciative towards Rogers as a person, but also isn’t afraid to explore thornier subjects—like the fact that he was raised evangelical and was a registered Republican his entire life—with nuance. The film succeeds in creating a warm portrait of a man who worked hard to make sure everyone was treated with respect, and may have needed the show more than his viewers (one tear-jerking scene shows Rogers re-enacting his own insecurities with one of his puppets, Daniel, in an episode of the show). The documentary, much like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood itself, feels like an act of radical empathy.

American Animals

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Director: Bart Layton

Starring: Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner

Similar to Bart Layton’s first feature The Imposter, American Animals is a surprising mashup of genres. It combines a fictional retelling of the bungled robbery of a college with testimonials from the real people involved, often blurring the lines between the two to unexpected poignancy. On the fictional side of things, Evan Peters (American Horror Story) and Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk) give strong performances as the ringleader of the heist and the less-willing accomplice, respectively. The film both versions of events to create a darkly comedic parable about white male entitlement and reaching your potential. It’s the perfect anti-heist heist movie that will leave you in simultaneous awe and pity. Fun fact: this is the first  movie distributed by MoviePass Ventures (notorious John Travolta summer bomb Gotti was the second—and probably last).

First Reformed

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Director: Paul Schrader

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer

Much like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, First Reformed is another bleak masterpiece from legendary screenwriter Paul Schrader. First Reformed also follows a man of duty hit with an existential crisis as Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) begins to question his faith in his church and the world after witnessing an unexpected tragedy. It’s an emotionally blistering movie that feels especially tuned in to current anxieties, specifically the effects of global warming on the world. Hawke gives the performance of his career, playing every emotion his character is feeling (guilt, sympathy, uncertainty) beautifully. The script is brutal and incisive, creating a harsh portrait of who this man is and who he wants to be, and who he’s afraid of becoming. First Reformed will leave you with troubling questions to ponder, but there’s no questioning that it’s one of the best films of the year.

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