Summer of 69 Review: Jillian Bell’s Bold Directorial Debut

Summer of 69 marks comedian‑actor Jillian Bell’s feature directorial debut, co‑written with Liz Nico and Jules Byrne. From the first frame, Bell sketches a vivid suburban playground where streaming shorthand meets teenage longing: Abby Flores (Sam Morelos) is a gaming phenom on Glitch but an emotional novice in real life.
When her longtime crush Max (Matt Cornett) becomes single, Abby overhears his preferred bedroom maneuver and enlists Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman), a pole‑dancer fighting for her club’s survival, to teach her the “art” of mutual pleasure in just one intense week.
Narratively, the film uses tight pacing—rapid‑cut montages, a musical‑number prologue, and surreal daydream interludes—to mirror Abby’s rush from online isolation to flesh‑and‑blood confidence. Bell’s direction balances wit and warmth: sight gags (haunted‑house dildo horror), vintage car cool, and genuine moments of mentorship that puncture the raunch.
When her longtime crush Max (Matt Cornett) becomes single, Abby overhears his preferred bedroom maneuver and enlists Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman), a pole‑dancer fighting for her club’s survival, to teach her the “art” of mutual pleasure in just one intense week.
Narratively, the film uses tight pacing—rapid‑cut montages, a musical‑number prologue, and surreal daydream interludes—to mirror Abby’s rush from online isolation to flesh‑and‑blood confidence. Bell’s direction balances wit and warmth: sight gags (haunted‑house dildo horror), vintage car cool, and genuine moments of mentorship that puncture the raunch.
- 5/7/2025
- by Zhi Ho
- Gazettely
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