There are some good moments in this 1993 film about eight childhood friends who return twenty years later to Camp Tamakwa at the bidding of the camp manager, Uncle Lou, played by Alan Arkin.  The screenplay focuses on the tensions of the thirty-something group, but breaks that up with a little slapstick by Stick Coder, the bumbling camp hired helper, played by Sam Raimi, and childish camp tricks that the friends play on each other.  Raimi is a three stooges fan and you'll see that in his performance.

            For all the thirties decade angst, this is basically a 'feel good' storyline from the Disney studios, under the Touchstone banner and distributed by Buena Vista.  It's also another take-off on the reunion plot line introduced by John Sayles in the Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980).  The next such re-spin of this reunion yarn was The Big Chill (1983) which stared Glen Close, William Hurt and Kevin Kline to name a few.  In the company of these forerunners, Indian Summer comes in a poor third choice.  Regardless, it is good basic lightweight entertainment, with some laughs and some good acting.

            Alan Arkin plays himself, re-titled Uncle Lou, but he's good in the role.  And the screenplay includes some nice touches, like the mysterious knowledge that an adult manager might know that kids would marvel at.  I discovered on-line that Wakonda was not the God of swimming, but a Sioux Indian great spirit.  However there is a Camp Tamakwa, in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada and that was the locale for the filming.  It's a beautiful spot and the fall colors seen at the end of the film are spectacular.

            The best line in the whole movie uttered by a character occurred when Jamie's 21-year-old girl friend Gwen said, "Jamie has to learn not to over wind his toys!"  The setting and the precedent for this jibe I'll let you discover for yourself in the film.

            Diane Lane plays Beth, a recently widowed character.  Her recent lead role as Frances in Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) shows maturing but not a lot of development as an actress.  Kevin Pollack, a stand-up comedian and impersonator, born in San Francisco, plays Brad.  He's had a strong career in many films, many in dark roles, which I found unusual. 

            Both Sam Raimi and Mike Binder, who wrote and directed the film, attended Camp Tamakwa as children.

            Reviewed January 31, 2005

            Not rated but probably "R" for language, drugs and implied sexual activity.