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Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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- By date
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Even if it lacks the sophistication of Stranger Things or the bite of Euphoria, Cruel Summer does provide interesting observations about the ways young lives are warped by trauma, and is a story that, while it lasts – like those long hot summer months of our teenage pasts – feels suffocating, confusing, hysterically dramatic, and compulsive.
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Mysteries abound and the audience is left to guess and try to keep things straight. The execution here, though, isn’t as cohesive as we would want and it frustrated us at every turn.
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Cruel Summer is at least competent where it counts most. The hair, costume, lighting and acting choices always make clear which year we’re in, and Aurelia and Holt offer up impressively distinct versions of their characters. ... But Cruel Summer doesn’t quite deliver on the pleasures it promises. Many of its surprises are predictable, and the laggard pacing saps some of the dark juiciness implied by the premise.
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“Cruel Summer” is smart, original, and just pulpy enough to give the story texture. It’s the overeager construction that holds it back from being something truly special.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 10 out of 16
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Mixed: 3 out of 16
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Negative: 3 out of 16
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Jun 16, 2021
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Apr 21, 2021So far a solid show. A nice mix of suspense, darkness coupled with the quintessential young teen growing into themselves.
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Apr 27, 2021