Hot Summer Nights (2017)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A teenage boy becomes entangled in the dangerous world of the drug trade while spending a summer on Cape Cod.
The story
In 1991, an awkward teenager named Daniel is sent by his mother to spend the summer with his aunt on Cape Cod following the death of his father. While there, he meets Hunter Strawberry, a local 'bad boy.' While working at a convenience store, Hunter asks Daniel to hide marijuana from the police. The two eventually become business partners, selling drugs supplied by a man named Dex. As they begin to make significant money, their lives become increasingly complicated by the rising tensions of their illicit business and the impending threat of Hurricane Bob.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1991, Daniel, an awkward teenager, is sent by his mother to spend the summer with his aunt on Cape Cod after the death of his father. He meets Hunter Strawberry, the local bad boy, who recruits him into the drug trade. They begin selling marijuana supplied by a man named Dex, who warns them of the fatal consequences of crossing him. Daniel also begins a secret romance with McKayla, Hunter's younger sister, despite Hunter's prohibition. Meanwhile, Hunter starts a relationship with Amy, the daughter of Sergeant Frank Calhoun. As the drug business becomes highly profitable, tensions rise. Daniel attempts to sell cocaine without Dex's knowledge, leading Dex to demand Hunter kill Daniel. Hunter tells Daniel to flee, and Dex subsequently murders Hunter. Daniel escapes through a storm to McKayla's house, but she has already left to reconcile with Hunter. McKayla finds her brother's body and flees town. According to the narrator, both Daniel and McKayla disappear; Daniel is rumored to be in the desert or a big city, while McKayla was last seen heading west from Illinois.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Elijah Bynum
- Writers
- Elijah Bynum · writer
- Cast and characters
- Timothée Chalamet · Daniel Middleton; Maika Monroe · McKayla; Alex Roe · Hunter Strawberry; Maia Mitchell; William Fichtner; Thomas Jane; Emory Cohen
- Genres
- neo-noir; coming-of-age; crime drama
- Themes
- drug trade; coming-of-age; romance; consequences of crime
- Tone and mood
- chaotic; passionate; nostalgic
- Premise and plot tags
- neo-noir; crime drama; coming-of-age; teen drama; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2013 Black List script
- Reception
- The film received mixed or average reviews, with some critics praising its energy and passion while others criticized its script as empty and its reliance on nostalgia.
- Reported review scores
- Rolling Stone · score: 2.5 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in Atlanta, Georgia, which served as a stand-in for Cape Cod.; The script was originally placed on the 2013 Black List.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…