Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Staten Island Summer

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Unfunny comedy with lots of teen sex, drugs, drinking.

Movie R 2015 108 minutes
Staten Island Summer Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 2 parent reviews

STONED RVTV
STONED RVTV Adult
July 23, 2019
age 14+

FANTASTIC

I enjoyed the movie really well! This review may not mean anything, or may not become crossed, but overall the movie did have me feeling like I was at home at that pool. They should definitely 100% make a new one , same cast, but they haven’t quite went off to college yet. One last party before the big move , or something like that. Real shame to see that this series has come to an end, even after only one movie upon its release. Shame on you movie producers for not making another one. But overall , other people may not agree on the drugs and all that, but honestly, it’s life. You live once, you move on, not everyone’s gonna be your parents, or live yo to your expectations, because your silly little vague opinions don’t matter in this world! Overall though, great movie, I reccomend a 2nd, I’d definitely go see it.
donttouchmybubblewrap
donttouchmybubblewrap Adult
September 11, 2018
age 16+

Stare at the ceiling instead

I'm not even going to bother talking about the sex and cussing and guns and whatnot. This is just plain boring. There literally is no story line. There is no plot, no climax, no conclusion. It's just a bunch of faces doing things until the credits start to roll.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Danny (Graham Phillips) works as a lifeguard with his best friend Frank (Zack Pearlman) at a pool in Staten Island. When the summer is over, Danny is off to Harvard, and for Frank, nothing will do but to throw a huge end-of-summer party. But for that to happen, Danny must find a way to avoid Disney World with his parents (Jim Gaffigan and Kate Walsh) and, along with the other lifeguards, find a way to throw the party without alerting or inviting their creepy Speedo-clad manager (Mike O'Brien). As the night of the big party approaches, Danny begins to fall for the "Queen of Staten Island," the beautiful Krystal Maniucci (Ashley Greene), who's the daughter of a hot-tempered mob boss (Vincent Pastore). As they scheme to find a way to get alcohol and drugs for the party, Danny and Frank also must find a way to lose their virginity and figure out how they'll remain friends once Danny goes off to college and Frank stays in town.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This could have been so much better than it is, but unfortunately, Staten Island Summer fails on every level. If you were to take Caddyshack, move it from a golf course in Florida to a public swimming pool in Staten Island, replace the hilarious characters with unfunny stereotypes, and force a "coming-of-age" narrative on top of the whole thing, you would begin to have an indication of what's happening here. With the talent on display here -- this movie is heavy with SNL cast members from today and the recent past -- it's surprising and disappointing how this movie fails to elicit a single laugh. The adults and kids are clichés, and all the talk of sex and drugs has been done so many times before (and so much better), it's hard to determine why this was even made.

Had they focused more on the coming-of-age aspects seemingly promised at the beginning of the movie, this could have been so much more than a shameless Caddyshack rip-off. There's even an exterminator (played by Fred Armisen) who goes after hornets in much the same way the exterminator in Caddyshack (played by Bill Murray) goes after a gopher.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about coming-of-age comedies. What do you think is the enduring appeal of movies in which teens begin the process of leaving home and moving to the next phase of their lives?

  • How are teen sex, drinking, and drug use portrayed in this movie? Does it match the typical behavior of teens, or does it seem overblown for the sake of comedy?

  • What does it mean when a movie is "formulaic"?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate