High schoolers revving up to lose their virginities by graduation are a teen comedy mainstay. The cheekily titled “Summer of 69,” directed by the comedy actress Jillian Bell, turns the trope on its head, so to speak, by centering on a nerdy young woman who pledges to master a specific sexual position. (You can venture a guess.)
Abby (Sam Morelos) is a 17-year-old video game streamer with zero bedroom experience and a whopper of a crush on Max (Matt Cornett), a hunky classmate. So when she hears that he favors that particular position, she hires a local stripper named Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman) for a crash course in carnal knowledge.
In her feature directorial debut, Bell conjures a mood of gentle bawdiness cut with sincerity. There’s a visit to the vibrator shop, and a running joke in which Abby misunderstands the nature of certain sex acts. But for the most part, the movie is free of the cutting loose and potty mouthing endemic to its genre. Instead of antics, the movie is powered by a feminist streak in which sexual prowess and even pleasure take a back seat to confidence, friendship and self worth.
The modest tone is fitting, for while Abby is on the verge of adulthood, she still acts like a child, and her immaturity bumps up awkwardly against the movie’s ribald premise. Fortunately, “Summer of 69” is a two-hander, and Fineman brings comic chops and genuine feeling to playing the tutor with a heart of gold.
Summer of 69
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. Watch on Hulu.
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