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How I Spent My Summer Vacation Review

Director: Adrian Grunberg

Cast: Mel Gibson,  Kevin Hernandez, Dolores Heredia, Daniel Gimenez Cacho

Certificate: 15

Running time: 95 minutes

Synopsis: After nabbing muchos moolah, career criminal ‘Driver’ (Gibson) makes a desperate bid for freedom via the Mexican border, but soon falls foul of corrupt local law enforcement. Separated from his swag and imprisoned Driver formulates a plan to regain his freedom and loot whilst upsetting the balance of power behind bars….

So who knows what a Gringo is? Exactly, we all do right? So why on earth Gibbo would insult the UK’s collective intelligence by changing the film’s moniker from its US  title, the apt and rather snappy GET THE GRINGO, to the droll and crappy HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION is a mystery. Still, a rose by any other name and all that vajazzle. Co-written, produced, and starring Gibson, it’s hard not to view this movie as a contrived vanity project, aimed at wiping the slate clean after an awkward decade for the actor-come-director-come-(alleged)-anti-Semite adulterer. With early buzz around the movie claiming ‘Gibson back to his best’ THN shook off its negative preconceptions and took a peek. And…..

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION is actually OK. There is a farcical element to the film that makes it fun, if not flimsy. Despite a 15 rating Gibson’s wiseguy repartee pacifies foreboding themes of murder, torture, and organ theft. The film has a breezy, almost cartoon-like tone as our protagonist’s hi-jinks satisfyingly outsmart the corrupt cops and dumb criminals. The movie’s other real success is the use of the prison break/heist format, engaging the audience with a narrative device that asks how’s he going to escape? As opposed to is he going to escape? Don’t get us wrong, there’s no Machiavellian masterplan or mind-blowing twist, but the different elements of the story come together via Gibson’s humorous grifting and makes for a decent watch.

The core premise isn’t bad either, and takes the simple fish-out of water idea and allows the main plot arch to evolve organically; whilst scoping the joint, Gibson befriends a young boy (Kevin Hernandez), whose rare blood type makes his liver mighty appealing to the jaundice kingpin Javi (Daniel Gimenez Cacho). The supporting cast are spot on and do a great job of making cliched stereotypes believable. Even the kid does a great job at being street smart and spunky without coming across as annoying.

Despite THN’s modest praise thus far, HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION has its problems. First of all – surely there’s no prison on earth actually like the one here? As Gibson’s narration muses ‘Is this a prison or the world’s shittiest mall’?  Which brings us to our next criticism; the narration is ridiculously try-hard and doesn’t work. Throughout the film Gibson pumps out an endless stream of quips, just because they are faintly clever or humorous but it never enhances the world we see on-screen. Moreover, the narration creates a pantomime-noir feel, with Gibson’s vocal styling is too gruff  to take seriously. Another contradiction comes from Gibson’s performance: his delivery is sweet and charming, though the character is meant to be a hardened criminal, leading one to wonder why he’d give a shit about the kid and his mother.

Whilst HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION isn’t a bad film, ultimately it’s unconvincing. Gibson has miscast himself by about 15 years and it’s hard not to notice how leathery he’s looking these days. He gives it his all and evokes some of the sass and panache of his great roles such as Martin Riggs or Rick Jarmen (gotta love BIRD ON A WIRE) but sadly his off-screen controversies are too big to overcome. Despite being fun, it’s never hilarious; there is plenty of gunfire but it never escalates to pulse-pounding action; and though the drama is engaging, it could be far more thrilling.

This is an enjoyable but tonally muddled movie, and whilst these inconsistencies don’t take away the enjoyment they do prevent it from being engrossing. Sadly this film is a long way from the glory days of LEATHAL WEAPON, and it’s probably best to wait until the DVD hits to avoid disappointment.

  HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION is released 11th May

A BA in Media & an Art MA doesn’t get you much in today’s world – what it does give you however is a butt-load of time to watch a heck of a lot of movies and engage in extensive (if not pointless) cinematic chitter chatter. Movies and pop-culture have always been at the forefront of Joe’s interest who has been writing for THN since 2009. With self-aggrandised areas of expertise including 1970s New Hollywood, The Coen Brothers, Sci-Fi and Adam Sandler, Joe’s voyeuristic habits rebound between Cinematic Classics and Hollywood ephemera, a potent mix at once impressively comprehensive and shamelessly low-brow.

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