Even as soulless and redundant superhero movies headline the summer movie schedule, a deeper look at the lineup reveals some really smart-looking smaller flicks hiding beneath the surface. Perhaps the cynicism of the expensive movies has allowed the cheaper pictures to feel free to be risky and fun — and in some cases, funny. Or maybe it’s just random chance. But after perusing Entertainment Weekly’s Summer Movie Preview, I gotta say I haven’t been this excited about a hot-weather slate in a while. Here are my picks for 13 movies to see in the summer of ’13.
1. “The Way, Way Back” (July 5) — This is already my favorite movie of 2013, and heck, the whole decade. “Descendants” screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash team up again here, and Faxon also utilizes the acting chops that were the best part of last fall’s sitcom “Ben and Kate.” Sam Rockwell and Steve Carell both play against type — Rockwell’s the good guy, Carell the jerk. Plus, AnnaSophia Robb, currently shining on “The Carrie Diaries,” plays the love interest of a put-upon teen (Liam James, the kid from “The Killing”). And it’s set in the 1980s, which should provide a nicely nostalgic tint. If that’s not enough of a pedigree to convince you, just watch the trailer.
2. “The Spectacular Now” (Aug. 2) — The trailer for this one isn’t out yet, but it’s from “(500) Days of Summer” screenwriter Scott Neustadter, and it stars Shailene Woodley of “The Descendants” as a quiet, cerebral girl who falls for a popular guy. I’m betting that the writer and actress both have another masterpiece in them.
3. “The Lifeguard” (August TBD) — In what sounds a bit like “Garden State” with the gender roles reversed, Kristen Bell plays a disillusioned adult who returns to her hometown in desperate search of happiness. It’s written and directed by Liz W. Garcia, whose credits include a couple episodes of “Wonderfalls,” so this is certainly worth a look.
4. “We’re the Millers” (Aug. 9) — The Jennifer-Aniston-playing-against-type joke that worked so well in “Horrible Bosses” continues here as she plays a stripper who goes undercover as a normal mom with small-time drug dealer Jason Sudekis. Throw in Emma Roberts as a homeless girl recruited to play their daughter, and bizarre situational comedy should abound.
5. “The Wolverine” (July 26) — There’s never been an actor more born to play a specific role than Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The title character’s second starring role looks grittier than the first (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), and it finds a way around Logan’s invincibility, thus allowing his brooding make more sense to viewers. If you see one overhyped franchise flick this summer, “The Wolverine” should be it.
6. “Greetings from Tim Buckley” (May 3) — The trailer hints that this could be a worthy biopic for late, beloved indie singer Jeff Buckley. Don’t hold the later seasons of “Gossip Girl” against him: Penn Badgley seems poised to do justice to the role.
7. “Drinking Buddies” (Aug. 23) — It’s got Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson (Nick on “New Girl”), Olivia Wilde and Ron Livingston in a story about friends (Johnson and Wilde) who become more than friends. With that cast, it’s worth a shot.
8. “The Internship” (June 7) — The premise is gold: “Wedding Crashers” co-stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson get laid off and find themselves competing against recent college grads for internships at Google. Their lack of tech savvy seems to be the main joke; at least it connects in the trailer when their young rivals trick them into seeking the advice of a wheelchair-bound “Professor Charles Xavier.”
9. “Black Rock” (May 17) — Beware the trailer, because it gives too much of the story away. But this could be a decent, non-humorous answer to the great unintentional comedy “Surviving the Game,” which is itself based on the classic novella “The Most Dangerous Game.” The “man hunting man” tale gets a twist here as the leads are three women, including Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell.
10. “The Bling Ring” (June 14) — She’ll always have “Lost in Translation” on her resume, and on some level I’ll always suspect writer-director Sophia Coppola has another masterpiece in her. Maybe this more restrained answer to “Spring Breakers” will be it. Emma Watson stars as a super-image-conscious girl who is more in touch with reality TV than reality.
11-13. “Rapturepalooza” (June 7), “This is the End” (June 12) and “The World’s End” (Aug. 23) — At least one of these three end-of-the-world comedies has got to be good. If not, maybe we can mash together all three into one great movie. “Rapturepalooza” boasts Craig Robinson playing it straight as the Devil, who wants to wed Anna Kendrick (can’t blame him for that). Then Robinson and many veterans of the Judd Apatow school play “themselves” in “This is the End.” The trailer for “The World’s End” isn’t out yet, but it is the latest from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz” and “Paul”), and if anyone can make me want to see a third apocalypse comedy in one summer, it’s those guys.
What movies are you most looking forward to this coming summer?