What is it about summer camp movies that makes us so jealous our parents never sent us off for a few weeks of minimally-supervised, life-affirming fun? The films we’ve seen always seem to be filled with mischief, merriment and near-miracles – food fights hilariously erupt, unlikely friendships are forged and even the nerdiest of nerds manage to get kissed for the first time.

Summerhood (directed by Jacob Medjuck) is no exception when it comes to delivering the shenanigans this genre demands, but the action is more clever than slapstick and there’s just enough realism to keep true silliness from taking over. The plot centers on a scrawny kiddo known as Fetus and his inevitable crush on Sundae, the prettiest girl at camp. His friends, a crew of bratty boys with nicknames like Mud, New Kid and Toast, alternately help and hurt his attempts to impress her, thus sometimes they seem like his enemies as well.

One of our favorite parts of this movie is that it’s narrated by John Cusack, which makes complete sense considering that Fetus is a Lloyd Dobbler in the making. The cast also contains ubiquitous character actor Christopher McDonald and the dad from Freaks and Geeks as offbeat camp directors, just another sign that this will be no ordinary trip to summer camp. The kids are mean, the pranks are vulgar and there’s no guarantee that heartbreak will be avoided; we never went to summer camp, but this AFF Marquee film seems to have gotten it right.