Wordiezett So much average

GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

lssmc Oh the memories! The theme from this movie by Percy Faith will to be locked in my mind forever! When I saw it was being featured on classic movies recently, I immediately tuned in. Seeing Troy and Sandra in their youth brought me back to my youth. One of those movies that will ever be a part of my teenage years. God Bless TMC for bringing it back.

vincentlynch-moonoi To me there were 2 problems here, the first being Troy Donahue's age. The "kids" had to be under 18 (since they couldn't get married), but Donahue was already 23...and looked it. Sandra Dee was 17...and looked it, so that worked alright. The other problem was some silly/stodgy dialogue at some places in the script. I'll credit that to Delmer Daves, the director, who was not experienced in directing this type of film.Beyond those two issues, it's a pretty decent film, although you do have to get past the dated nature of sexual mores in 1959. But that's okay.In a sense it's sort of a take-off on "Romeo & Juliet"...basically the story of forbidden love, teen pregnancy, and feuding parents. Of course, I was just 10 when this film was made, and I can remember the girl across the street who would sit in her boyfriend's car in the driveway and neck and pet. What a scandal that was! So the attitudes shown here are not far off track for the time.Richard Egan is fairly good as Dee's father. He's not the most dynamic actor, but he gets the job done. It's a treat seeing Dorothy McGuire as Troy Donahue's mother. What a wonderful actress she was; I only wish she had had more screen time in this film. Sandra Dee was about right as the female part of the young lovers. The best performance here -- particularly in a later scene -- is by Arthur Kennedy, who plays the alcoholic father of Donahue. I never cared that much for Kennedy, but over his career he turned in a number of fine performances, albeit usually as fairly unlikable characters. Troy Donahue is satisfactory here. He was a great actor, but he usually filled the bill as a "hunk" and could deliver lines -- again -- satisfactorily. Constance Ford...what a witch! And I cleaned that up! And finally, one of the great character actresses of Hollywood history is here -- Beulah Bondi. She gets far too little screen time, but has one good soliloquy when she is reminding Dorothy McGuire of reality. What a gem she was.Is this a great film? No. Is it dated? Yes. Is it entertaining? Quite. A little soapy, and not the class of some Ross Hunter productions, but I think if you like romance classics, this might do nicely.

evening1 An interesting treatise on how parents deal with their children's awakening to sex just before the Sexual Revolution.Made in 1959, this film is dated but of considerable interest as a period piece. It takes place at a time when children still thought they had to obey their parents and mothers still believed a girl left alone with a boy risked her reputation.The relationship between Molly and her father is unusual in that they try to talk openly about sex and relationships, a scenario that in countless other films would pair the young lady with a female. Sandra Dee does well as the sensitive Molly and Richard Egan excels as her father, though a couple times I was uncomfortable with the loose boundaries between them.This movie includes a strikingly harsh scenario in which Molly's mother, played coldly by Constance Ford, orders a persecutory gynecological exam. Given its preoccupation with "what the neighbors will say," this film presages some of the themes of "Splendor in the Grass," which came two years later."A Summer Place" is memorable for more than its famously haunting score.

blanche-2 I read through some of the reviews here on IMDb, and I lament that I was a little too young when this film came out to remember all the hoopla surrounding it. I have a vague memory, but that's about it."A Summer Place" was released in 1959 and stars Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee as Johnny and Molly, who meet and fall in love when Molly's family comes to stay at his parents' guest house in Pine Island, Maine during the summer. Dorothy McGuire, Arthur Kennedy, Constance Ford, and Richard Egan are their mismatched, dysfunctional parents.The best roles belong to Ford and Kennedy. Ford, as Molly's mother, is a disapproving, strict woman who seems to be against sex but sees it everywhere. And though she doesn't admit it, she's fascinated by it. When Molly comes home after she and Johnny are shipwrecked overnight, her mother calls a doctor to have her examined and make sure she's still a virgin.Molly's father is played by Richard Egan, and he and Ford seem completely mismatched. He is gentler and more understanding...and has been in love with Johnny's mother Sylvia (McGuire) since he worked on Pine Island as a lifeguard twenty years earlier. Sylvia, married to the drunken, bitter Bart (Kennedy) has always been in love with him, and the two almost immediately rekindle their romance. This leads to a lot of turmoil between the families and Helen particularly wants Johnny and Molly apart.It's easy to see why teens loved this back in the day with the family problems, attempts at keeping the two lovers apart, and the good old how far shall we go discussion, not to mention all the romance.Troy Donahue -- his run as a teen idol was a bit before my time -- I probably missed his peak by two years. I did watch his TV shows but I don't remember him, only Edd Byrnes, Connie Stevens, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., and Roger Smith from the various shows. And that was Troy's problem. Hunky good looks but ultimately forgettable with his monotonous line readings and facial expressions, and general stiffness. Besides his looks, the only thing he had going for him was a nice speaking voice. Sandra Dee fares better. She was a natural actress and often called up to be emotional, so she had a wider range. She and Donahue are very cute together.Ford and Kennedy both do excellent jobs; Egan and McGuire have much less to do. McGuire and Donahue were two Delmar Daves regulars, which is why when you look at a description of the movies, you're not sure which ones you've seen.Max Steiner wrote the beautiful theme for the movie (which he originally wrote for High Noon) which one still hears played today. It's a good match for the film.Delmar Daves' films are generally on the long side but the soapy films he made in this period are beautiful to look at. And his message is great about love and a sense of humor -- "These are the weapons of the angels."