Rating: 
Summary: Summer of '42 is a timeless, haunting love story........
Review: It is the summer after Pearl Harbor. The world is at war, and America is sending her best, strongest and healthiest men to fight overseas. Meanwhile, those too young, old, or physically disabled to serve stay behind, as well as wives and sweethearts. Among these are Hermie, Oscy, and Benjie (Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser and Oliver Conant). Together, this "terrible trio" raids the Coast Guard station, frolics on the beach on Packett Island, and sneaks looks at "dirty pictures" from a medical book. But even as the three friends goof around on lazy summer days, the war's effects will soon touch the more serious and sensitive 15-year-old Hermie. He finds himself falling in love with the beautiful Dorothy (Jennifer O'Neill), who is seven years older and married. He worships her from afar, enduring both his friends' merciless teasing and his own confusion about his feelings. But when Dorothy's husband Pete goes overseas to enter the fray, Hermie befriends Dorothy, helping her with chores such as carrying her groceries to her house on the beach and placing boxes in the attic. At the same time, the more rambunctious Oscy (and Hermie's best friend) is trying very hard to pick up girls and lose his virginity, and he makes it his mission in life to help Hermie do the same. So he copies information from a medical book that Benjie says "belongs to the house" where he spends the summer. Oscy also attempts to set up a date for the "terrible trio" at the movies, but that almost falls apart when Benjie and the third girl don't want to go. I don't want to give away what happens next, but it's pretty funny. But the heart of the movie revolves, as many reviewers have said, around Hermie's love for Dorothy, and how he comes to manhood unexpectedly when Dorothy finds out that her husband has been killed in action. It's a beautiful, discreet and bittersweet sequence, and will leave the viewer with indelible memories of a haunting, timeless experience. I like Summer of '42 because it is sweet and gentle, hilarious at times, and always very touching. Michel Legrand's Oscar-winning score is simple yet evocative, and Herman Raucher's screenplay was later adapted by the writer into a best selling novel. I recommend this film to young and old alike as a fine example of what a coming-of-age movie should be like.
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Summary: One of the greatest teen movies of all time.
Review: Robert Mulligan's Summer of `42 poignantly tells the story of Hermie and his friends as they fritter away the summer days looking for love and sex in a beachfront town. I've watched a lot of teen movies in my life (Last American Virgin, Breakfast Club, Can't buy me love, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and none of them had the moved me emotionally like this film did.
Hermie spends his days hanging out with friends and occasionally helping out Dorothy, an older woman whose husband has gone to war. In between the comical teenage hi-jinx (the scene at the movie theatre and the scene where he buys condoms are very funny) Hermie's friendship with Dorothy grows closer. Hermie is in puppy love with Dorothy and maybe it would have remained just that if not for the stunning plot twist near the end of the film. Things come to an unexpected head on the night he goes over to visit her and learns that her husband has died. This leads to one of the most powerful sex scenes ever filmed. Through a set of amazing shots set just to music, Mulligan shows how the sex between Hermie and Dorothy is about emotional vulnerability and wanting to be close to someone. In the tasteful sequence you can feel Hermie's uneasiness about sleeping with Dorothy. When standing on the porch to leave Dorothy's house she says a simple goodnight that speaks volumes. Hermie returns to visit Dorothy the next day and finds a note in the door. Reading it he realizes things in his life are forever changed.
Gary Grimes and Jennifer O' Neill give great performances; the chemistry these two actors share makes the film work. The other actors give great performances too, they portray the teens as awkward and curious; the way they talk sounds like teenagers and not like they just got through reading a thesaurus. The set design takes you to the simpler time of 1942 as Mulligan's camerawork tells the story by building tension in just the right scenes. The Oscar-winning score is in the right places and sets just the right mood. If you like teen movies, you must buy this film. It will change the way you see the genre of Teen films.
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Summary: Is there a 6 (or more) star rating?
Review: The story line is timeless for any guy 15 and up. I don't think women really get into it. The reviews above sketch the plot. If you think that young Katherine Hepburn, Marline Dietrich or Ingrid Bergman are the top all time beauty contenders, see young Jennifer O'Neill here. And if you ever squirmed in a first situation with the opposite sex as a kid, see "'42". The fact that Jennifer never made another movie ("Lady Ice"?), or that Hermie, Benji and Oskie never went on, is totally irrelevant. When an old buddy comes over and you have time for a flick, you can share a testimonial to your youth in viewing "Summer of 42". I put it in the catagory of items first to save as the house is going up in smoke.
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Summary: Unparalleled, powerful and unmatched
Review: This film (as you will read in other reviews here) is simply one of the deepest, hardest hitting and artistic films of its kind. The emotional rollercoaster and coming of age experience has yet to be conveyed better than in Summer of '42. Artistically filmed using an intentionally soft image, this film captures the times and atmosphere of a small summer island in 1940's America in an unbelievably effective manner. I saw this film when i was 19 years old and had never experienced such a film before. Jennifer O'Neil is undoubtebly at the peak of her allure. The Fun, Frolic, Confusion, Desire, Strife, Simplicity, Complexity and Tragedy of one's loss of youth are all painted here in this Classic American film. Accept no substitutes, because although many have tried, no one has yet to reproduce what this film has got. You must see it to appreciate it. The recently released DVD is worth the price. Picture quality is excellent with perfect color and resolution. Letterbox format. However, the obsolete Dolby Soundtrack is a disappointment, as there are no surround channels and audio separation is limited. DVD extras include cast bios and the original theatrical trailer. All-in-all a worthwhile DVD upgrade to any VHS version.
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Summary: If we could only be young forever!
Review: This is the "Catcher in the Rye" of the film age! The senitments of your youth will catch up to you watching this movie, and you will ask yourself where time went? "2 Thumbs Up!"
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Summary: Simply the Best
Review: This is the finest, most significant movie I have ever watched. Herman Raucher's book is equally wonderful. Every other year I enjoy the movie with whoever will join me and find myself refreshed by the innocence of the three boys on Packett Island. The casting and dialogue in the peer bantering are superb. Babyboomers are the targeted audience and the lack of appeal to current teens signifies their own lost innocence.
Rating: 
Summary: A Nice Film
Review: This movie was filmed in my hometown, Fort Bragg/Mendocino, California, during the summer of 1971 before I began my senior year in high school. I was lucky enough to see a few scenes being filmed, although I never did see Jennifer O'Neill, much to the distraught of my teenage hormones. The scenery is beautiful--as anyone who has been to the Mendocino Coast of California will attest--and the story is wonderful. I recently saw the movie on cable and thought that the acting by the two male leads is a bit stiff, however, which prevents me from giving it 5 stars. But it's still a good film about one lad breaching that enigmatic boundary between boyhood and manhood, set amid the sleepy splendor of a small coastal town during the second world war. Although more recent films such as Rob Reiner's "Stand By Me" amd Ridley Scott's "White Squall" tell this tale better, this film is still a worthy effort. Would I buy it? You bet! Enjoy!
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Summary: A Worthwhile Film
Review: This movie was filmed in my hometown--Fort Bragg/Mendocino, California--during the summer of 1971 as I was about to enter my senior year of high school. At the time, 60's idealism was fast transforming into the cynicism that was the 70's, and movies in particular seemed to embrace this mood. But not this one. This is a rather poignant film about one lads journey into adulthood, set amid the beauty of the Mendocino Coast (although is supposed to be an island) and the early troubled days of the Second World War. I related to this film on several levels, being about the same age as the protagonists at the time, the son of a WWII veteran, and concerned I would be sent to war (Vietnam was still a reality). And I was in love with Jennifer O’Neill, too! I was lucky enough to witness some of the scenes as they were being filmed, the funny losing-ones-virginity-on-the-beach scene comes immediately to mind. Is this a great movie? No, Gary Grimes and Jerry Hauser were just mediocre young actors and pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth after this movie. But it is a good movie, driven by a wonderful script and superb cinematography. And an Oscar-winning soundtrack. I’ll definitely buy it, and so should you. A four-star film.
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Summary: Classic Movies "jonap"
Review: Touching and beautiful story...5 stars, for sure! True to life scenario, really! well, at least partly...after admiring from afar, teen boy falls for beautiful, sexy older woman (true part), and when her husband dies in war, seeks romantic comfort in teen boy (finally!)paid off in the end, eh, herbie?! A must-see film! beautifully portrayed! though,i must say, having jennifer o'neil as leading lady...DIDN'T HURT!!!!!
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Summary: One of the Great Romantic Films of the 1970's
Review: When your asked to name the great romantic films of the '70s inevitably titles such as the "The Way We Were" and the much maligned "Love Story" come to mind. But most lists always seem to unfairly leave off the wonderful, Robert Mulligan film, "The Summer of '42"."The Summer of '42" was a big box office hit, way back in '71, but now seems to be rarely mentioned or even remembered.Well, I've always loved this somewhat, overly sentimental,'coming of age' story and was overjoyed to find it had come out on DVD.The story takes place during the WWII era on a wind swept, U.S. island, where families go to the beach to escape the summer heat. The episodic film focuses on some fifteen year old boys, who are basically dying of boredom and behaving like average teenagers.The pushy and rather obnoxious, Oscy (Jerry Houser) spends most of the movie try to figure out 'how' and 'when' he'll get sex.Romance dosn't exactly figure too much into his carnal plans.Then there is Hermie (Garry Grimes), who is the exact opposite. He honestly falls in love with a beautiful (but older) warbride named Dorothy (Jennifer O'Neill), who dosn't seem to realize how deep his infatuation is. Eventually the war comes home and tragedy strikes the young women.Hermie is there for Dorothy in her time of need and in the process loses both his virginity and a bit of innocence. Yes, I know this all sounds pretty smaltzy and something out of a pulp romance novel.But to tell you the truth the film really works! Director, Robert Mulligan and screen writer Herman Raucher have combined thier talents to create a movie, which is equal parts nostalgia, romance and in some scenes even humorus (I love the drugstore/condom scene!).The sexual denouement of the film is handled beautifully and with discretion. I love the fact that during the almost silent 5 minute scene you hear nothing on the soundtrack, but an old scratchy record that plays out to it's end groove.What atmosphere!The rest of the film actually has a classic, Oscar winning, romantic score by Michael Legrande, which just sticks in your head and won't let go.If you are interested in seeing a wonderful 'coming of age' story then I highly recommend "The Summer of '42".
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