Parents' Guide to Snack Shack

It requires patience, and it covers familiar territory, but this teen coming-of-age summer-job comedy eventually finds its way, thanks to its free-wheeling style and its grasp of time and place. Snack Shack starts at full caffeinated force, with A.J. and Moose chattering at top speed, whooping and hollering at the thrill of winning money and racing to get back to where they're supposed to be, all to the propulsive beat of a hammering music score. But when the boys are eating dinner, and A.J.'s mother (Gillian Vigman) glances under the table to find Moose's leg bouncing a mile a minute, the pace and cacophony begin to make sense. The movie starts to find an interesting rhythm, capturing the chaos with an almost lackadaisical approach. Moments that might have been turning points in other movies -- such as the boys finding a funny, profane way of charging $.75 more per hot dog -- pass by almost as an afterthought; things just occur in the moment.

The character of Shane (Nick Robinson), an older-brother-type role model for A.J., adds another layer of tenderness. And 1991 Nebraska is used not so much as nostalgia but rather as an effect, a way to look into the scene from outside. Director Adam Rehmeier achieved a similar effect in his previous movie, the unsung gem Dinner in America, introducing viewers to misfit characters who initially rub us the wrong way; we judge them unfairly, like a book by its cover, before being fully introduced to them and coming to love them. Snack Shack may take a while to catch on, but it could eventually join the club of the great summer vacation movies.