It’s the perfect summer …. or is it?

In this 2013 film, teenage Jake (Adam Horner) moves to California with his mother, Alyssa (Sydney Penny).  They move in with Jake’s grandfather, surf shop owner Lou Reynolds (Eric Roberts).  At first, Jake is miserable.  He misses his friends.  He doesn’t know what to make of the California lifestyle.  He has a crush on Kayla (Katie Garfield) but he feels insecure because he can’t surf and, when he does buy a surfboard, it’s promptly broken in half by the local surf bullies.

(Is there really such a thing as surf bullies?  I’ve never lived on the beach so I really haven’t had much experience with surfers.  The ones that I met in Hawaii and Galveston all seemed pretty cool, though.  But, in the movies, they’re all like, “Can’t surf our beach, brah.”  A part of me suspects that movies should not be used as a guide for real life.)

It’s a good thing that Lou just happens to be a legendary surfer!  While Alyssa pursues a romance with Marcos (Louis Mandylor), Lou tries to teach his grandson how to surf.  It’s not always easy.  Jake gets frustrated easily and he doesn’t quite understand the zen philosophy behind surfing.  But, with Lou’s help, Jake gets the hang of it and soon, Jake is ready to enter the big surging competition!

If this all sounds familiar, that’s because you’ve already seen a hundred films like this.  Think of The Karate Kid, but with surfing and Eric Roberts as the mentor.  It’s all very predictable but the beach is pretty.  The ocean is majestic.  My favorite American Idol also-ran, Jason Castro, shows up for a few minutes.  And Eric Roberts actually gets a fairly substantial role and a chance to show what a good actor he can actually be!  There’s absolutely nothing surprising about the film  but, for what it is, The Perfect Summer works.

Previous Eric Roberts Films That We Have Reviewed:

1. Star 80 (1983)
2. Runaway Train (1985)
3. Blood Red (1989)
4. The Ambulance (1990)
5. The Lost Capone (1990)
6. Love, Cheat, & Steal (1993)
7. Voyage (1993)
8. Love Is A Gun (1994)
9. Sensation (1994)
10. Dark Angel (1996)
11. Doctor Who (1996)
12. Most Wanted (1997)
13. Mercy Streets (2000)
14. Raptor (2001)
15. Wolves of Wall Street (2002)
16. Mr. Brightside (2004)
17. Six: The Mark Unleased (2004)
18. Hey You (2006)
19. Amazing Racer (2009)
20. In The Blink of an Eye (2009)
21. Bed & Breakfast (2010)
22. Enemies Among Us (2010)
23. The Expendables (2010) 
24. Sharktopus (2010)
25. Beyond The Trophy (2012)
26. The Dead Want Women (2012)
27. Deadline (2012)
28. The Mark (2012)
29. Miss Atomic Bomb (2012)
30. Bonnie And Clyde: Justified (2013)
31. Lovelace (2013)
32. The Mark: Redemption (2013)
33. Self-Storage (2013)
34. A Talking Cat!?! (2013)
35. This Is Our Time (2013)
36. Inherent Vice (2014)
37. Road to the Open (2014)
38. Rumors of War (2014)
39. Amityville Death House (2015)
40. Deadly Sanctuary (2015)
41. A Fatal Obsession (2015)
42. Las Vegas Story (2015)
43. Stalked By My Doctor (2015)
44. Enemy Within (2016)
45. Joker’s Poltergeist (2016)
46. Prayer Never Fails (2016)
47. Stalked By My Doctor: The Return (2016)
48. The Wrong Roommate (2016)
49. Dark Image (2017)
50. Black Wake (2018)
51. Frank and Ava (2018)
52. Stalked By My Doctor: Patient’s Revenge (2018)
53. Clinton Island (2019)
54. Monster Island (2019)
55. The Reliant (2019)
56. The Savant (2019)
57. Seven Deadly Sins (2019)
58. Stalked By My Doctor: A Sleepwalker’s Nightmare (2019)
59. The Wrong Mommy (2019)
60. Exodus of a Prodigal Son (2020)
61. Free Lunch Express (2020)
62. Her Deadly Groom (2020)
63. Top Gunner (2020)
64. Deadly Nightshade (2021)
65. The Elevator (2021)
66. Just What The Doctor Ordered (2021)
67. Killer Advice (2021)
68. Night Night (2021)
69. The Poltergeist Diaries (2021)
70. The Rebels of PT-218 (2021)
71. A Town Called Parable (2021)
72. Bleach (2022)
73. My Dinner With Eric (2022)
74. D.C. Down (2023)
75. Aftermath (2024)
76. Devil’s Knight (2024)
77. The Wrong Life Coach (2024)
78. When It Rains In L.A. (2025