A lyrical and distinctively gorgeous tone poem of disillusionment and raging hormones; David Robert Mitchell's The Myth of the American Sleepover dives into the melancholy and the honesty within the darkness of the summer months, as teenagers roam freely in a state of searching and yearning for connection.

While some of the acting is borderline amateurish and a couple of the character arcs aren't as satisfying as they're meant to be, the rest is a solid and beautifully defined work of feeling and emotional discovery. Characters talk, fight, flirt, smoke, drink, and seek, with some individuals discovering more than others, often in unexpected ways. The result is a film of remarkable truth, laden within shots of breathtaking simplicity and nostalgic resonance.

As a first feature, It's damn good. Just on its own, The Myth of the American Sleepover is still damn good. Recommended for all fans of exceptional indies and simple cinema.

Ouch. That's the sound of my heart filling up with the immense power of nostalgia. David Robert Mitchell's debut feature evokes an aura of sadness, not in a negative way mind you, but of a time no longer present and may never be again. A time of exploration, fun, perpetual awkwardness and human connection, both primal and sensitive. All the performers here act with intoxicating naturalism, which Mitchell surrounds with a palpable atmosphere that finds the most basic interactions emitting visual poetry. Growing up has its advantages, but nothing can compare to the uninhibited folly of youth. We can only cherish the moments we had, for when we lived them, we could never fully realize how happy they made us. We just didn't have enough time for that...

do movies about teens make everyone sad? is that the appeal for adults? to revisit your childhood or to pine for the one you never had? (i'm the second one.) i dont know. i am sad. is it just me? i dont know anyone. help me

also i put "100,000 fireflies" on a mixtape i made for a boy and now im double sad and im gonna go kms

A sort of alt look at the last days of school summer holidays. I left with a big smile on my face.

After really enjoying It follows and absolutely loving Under the silver lake, I was excited to head to The first film of this impressive new director.  I was in for a shock. 

This movie was terrible.  Really bad. 

1. No one can act. I get casting unknowns and even bad actors in indie films, but they need some personality. This was just bad actors reading line’s robotically. 

2. No jokes land 

3. Nothing dramatic lands. 

This was just the worst version of a teen dramedy

Perhaps there are a few sweet moments here and there, but this movie failed to charm me. David Robert Mitchell can't quite capture the desperation or ambiguity of the teen emotional experience even though several of the plot points provide the opportunity. Although one might recognize some of the behaviors, it's hard to empathize with these characters without seeing their awkwardness, shame, confusion or pain more clearly. As is they feel like a bunch of blank faces floating through a plot (or lack of one) that's a bit too loose to hang on to at times. Highlight of the film is seeing that the movie being screened at the cemetery in Under the Silver Lake is actually this movie with different actors.

Watched on Amazon Prime (?) in my room in SLC. I heard Tarantino say something about loving David Robert Mitchell's 'Under the Silver Lake' so I decided to go through his catalog (albeit short) in order.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why people seem to enjoy this movie. This is the sleepiest, least interesting movie I have seen in a MINUTE.

The only notable thing about this movie that k feel is worth mentioning is that the sound design is absolute piss. There are scenes with like 40 drunk teens standing close together and ALL you can hear are two characters at a time mumbling. There's just no background sound at all, just 38 silent teens standing around apparently. Any scenes that take place by water are sold by what sounds like someone peeing into a puddle.

It also just looks SO BORING. Every shot is underexposed, with zero background or movement. This was presumably shot entirely with available light which is often a few scattered light bulbs.

Fuck this movie, I'm so bored and I'll be bored every time I think about it.

The fact that this has better reviews than Under the Silver Lake is actually infuriating.

I love this movie 🎥

Well made debut feature, however with no real central character among the plethora of Dawson’s Creek denizens it feels like we get lost within the varying Teenage issues/desires. Lacking clear plot points and happy to let his story weave in an out of the neighbourhood results in a Summer time coming of age movie that works mostly.