17. Flik Royale (Red Hook Summer)
Flik is a kid from an affluent family spending a summer in the poor neighborhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn with his grandfather. Like the boys of Stand by Me or The Sandlot, he has his own concerns that he addresses on a journey that is sometimes amusing, sometimes dramatic, and always educational. His role as protagonist in the movie is as interesting as any childhood summer vacation movie, but contains themes not often explored in such a movie, even without the inclusion of his grandfathers story. Im not saying every movie about a kids summer misadventures needs to have the same plot as Red Hook Summer, but by including more themes from a variety of different time periods and social norms, it would make movies a lot more lucrative, because people would see them. I think we all want more than 1960s bicycles in suburban environments, and Flik creates a great jumping-off point for ideas. Childhood summer memories will always be powerful for us, and we might as well think about more than one idea along the way.