Posted: 04/05/2011

Summer Eleven

(2011)

by Shannon Huebscher

A sweet new film, Summer Eleven is the story of four young girls, their families, and the struggles they face one summer break. Most importantly, it shows the lovely friendships between these girls, and how, even at a young age, they already know how to support and love one another. Although at times very predictable and corny, the movie does encapsulate a certain feeling that was endearing to watch - that time when we’re too young to fully understand everything, and too old to pretend we don’t know any better.

Of the four main story lines, following each of the girls and their families, the one that was most touching to watch was that of Lizzie (played by Meaghan Hughes)- her older brother had recently been deployed to Iraq, and upon his return, comes back a changed man, both physically and mentally. Hughes does a phenomenal job in the role, and absolutely steals the show from her counterparts.

Summer Eleven is a film that young girls will undoubtedly relate to, and perhaps help to learn one of life’s greatest lessons: we can’t choose our family, but thankfully we can choose our friends. And in this film, they chose wisely.

Shannon Huebscher is a freelance writer living in Minneapolis.

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