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MOVIE REVIEW : ‘SUMMER HEAT’ SEDUCES AS IT STAGNATES

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The artists of “Summer Heat” (UA Egyptian, Cineplex Odeon Showcase) have good reason to be proud. This story of a young woman’s struggle between duty and consuming attraction looks beautiful: Its 1937 North Carolina tobacco-country settings, its costumes and particularly the photography are marvelously evocative--authentic-looking without the stigma of quaintness. The film’s director, relative newcomer Michie Gleason, has a way of getting the best out of good actors, and Lori Singer, Anthony Edwards and Bruce Abbott give strong, thoughtfully detailed performances.

But the same Gleason--as screenwriter/adapter of Louise Shivers’ poetic novel “Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail”--has undercut the project crucially. Even though she has stuck closely to Shivers’ first-person novel (probably too slavishly), the driving sense of where this Southern mood piece is going is missing.

In the film’s final minutes Gleason will give us an answer: It’s in the spirited emergence of a quiet Southern “girl,” who has never in her life said no to anyone--much less to a husband, father or lover--to take a hand in her own life after it has taken a tragic, irrevocable turn.

But the end of the movie is the wrong place to understand this. The film needs a tighter edge to it, a fevered rise and fall to go with the hot excesses of its illicit lovers. It can’t lollygag along in the way it does, meandering to a conclusion. And it needs a keener sense that it is the story of a maturation.

“Summer Heat” is narrated by its central character, Roxy Walston, as a much older woman, a clumsy device that also takes any suspense out of the trial that ends the film. (That’s Dorothy McGuire’s voice as the narrator.) It begins with the courtship of 17-year-old Roxy (Lori Singer), shy and unworldly, over the grave of the beloved grandmother who raised her. Roxy is wooed by Aaron (Anthony Edwards), a serious, decent, unimaginative boy only a year older than she, who marries her and moves her to the isolation of a struggling tobacco farm some miles out of their small North Carolina town.

They’ve been married about five years and have a curly-haired 2-year-old daughter, Baby, by the time an enigmatic young Depression drifter, Jack Ruffin (Bruce Abbott), becomes the third side of the triangle. He’s been sent to help out on the place by Roxy’s father (Clu Gulager), who owns the town’s funeral home and is something of a soft touch for the jobless young men of the area.

Dark-haired and insinuating, Ruffin instantly confuses and fascinates Roxy with his directness and appreciation of her. At the same time, he works assiduously to become her husband’s companion as well as his hired hand. These sections: the growing electricity between Ruffin and Roxy, her husband’s patronizing treatment of her, the camaraderie between the two men--playing guitar-mandolin duets by the firelight at the end of a long work day--are some of the film’s most memorable scenes.

There is also a writer’s good ear: “You look like a cat under a collard,” an aunt says about Baby, as she tries on her daddy’s felt hat. And there is a generous portrayal of rural Southern life by a director who herself comes from Virginia.

From “Summer Heat” you draw a genuine and lovely sense of place, of community, and--in the fine performances of Gulager and the splendid Kathy Bates as his second wife--a sense of the continuity of family that is so intensely Southern. It’s the film’s real successes that make its intrinsic weaknesses all the more painful.

The picture is too novelistic. Author Shivers’ device of having Roxy’s grandmother reappear isn’t well worked out on film, and a lot of Roxy’s childhood memory details emerge as murky and confusing. To go with its dark conclusion, “Summer Heat” needs a strong morality: the novel’s suggestion that all her life long, Roxy will be “tending two graves.” The film almost overlooks those two graves in its pride in its heroine’s growing sense of self--a terribly unsatisfying equation.

Its deadly triangle of actors is fine. Singer, more exquisite than ever in cinematographer Elliot Davis’ lenses, is subdued and somnambulistic as the unawakened Roxy, and all sweet, unbridled sexuality with the appearance of Jack Ruffin. Abbott, beautifully cast as the persuasive, mercurial Ruffin, is as mysterious and, eventually, as dangerous as the role demands. And Edwards, almost unrecognizable as “Top Gun’s” loud-mouthed Goose, is perfect as the strong, quiet anchor to the action.

Gleason needs to take far more risks as an adapter, but undeniably she can direct. Producer William Tennant has provided her with a fine technical crew: cinematographer Davis (who shot Gleason’s first film, “Broken English,” and the high-style “Vamp”); costume designer Anthony Marando and costume supervisor Fiona Spence; production designer Marcia Hinds, editor Mary Bauer and composer Richard Stone.

“Summer Heat” (rated R for nudity and adult themes) still emerges on the minus side of the ledger, but put it down as an interesting, beautifully detailed and engaging piece of work, however flawed, and look for the further work from Gleason’s directorial hand.

‘SUMMER HEAT’ An Atlantic Entertainment Group presentation. Executive producers Thomas Coleman, Michael Rosenblatt. Producer William Tennant. Director Michie Gleason. Screenplay Gleason, based on the novel “Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail” by Louise Shivers. Camera Elliot Davis. Music supervisor Steve Tyrell; original music by Richard Stone. Editor Mary Bauer. Production design Marcia Hinds. Art director Bo Johnson. Costume design Anthony Marando, costume supervisor Fiona Spence. Sound E. Lee Haxall. With Lori Singer, Anthony Edwards, Bruce Abbott, Kathy Bates, Clu Gulager.

Running time: 1 hour, 22 minutes.

MPAA-rated: R (persons under 17 must be accompanied by parent or adult guardian).

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Summer Heat (1987)

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SUMMER HEAT (1987) – Blu-ray Review

For Lori Singer and Anthony Edwards, Marriage is Murder

DIRECTED BY MICHIE GLEASON/1987

BLU-RAY STREET DATE: AUGUST 30, 2022/KL STUDIO CLASSICS 

At a mere eighty minutes and on Blu-ray with barely any extras, this is an unsubstantial bit of summer heat that won’t last long.  Lackadaisical and hollow (even with the brief run time), director Michie Gleason’s film is built upon a bed of unspoken marital tensions in the middle nowhere circa 1937. (as demarcated specifically by Frank Capra’s  It Happened One Night  on a passing movie house marquee.  That film, very unlike this one, swept all major categories of the Academy Awards. It’s the story of a mismatched love that works out.  This is the story of a too-well matched love that does not). One might justifiably take one look and deduce that the movie in question, 1987’s  Summer Heat,  is something that no one would enjoy watching based on a book that no one would enjoy reading.  

In that deduction, one would only be half right.  Based on Louise Shivers’ acclaimed debut novel  Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail  (1983),  Summer Heat  is very much a proto- Bridges of Madison County , albeit with a particularly dark turn.  The central appeal, however, tends to be the same: escape from a crummy marriage into the arms of a passionate manly man who appreciates a good woman when he nails one.  What we’ve got here is a small-town women’s picture with every interior permeated by a permanent haze and every exterior plagued by peeling paint and splintery wood.  All of it is permeated with dirt.  It’s tautness and streamlined nature would be a plus for many other movies, but with this one, there’s a lingering sense of post-production defeat.  One wouldn’t be surprised to learn that an entire subplot or two got lopped out. “Let’s just cut our losses and release what kind of works.”

Lori Singer plays Roxy, a rail-thin mother of a baby named Baby.  She has little connection to her toddler and less to her checked-out husband, Aaron (Anthony Edwards).  Some unseen future-Roxy narrates this tale (voice of Dorothy McGuire).  At first the vocal intrusions are ridiculously perpetual and invasive.  Then, as things amble on, they stop.  One look at her out there working on her ramshackle house, tools a swingin’, leads one to wonder, is she a hard-working woman of the land, or just an actress who can only drive a nail by the miracle of movie magic?  Roxy is intended as an introvert (“She always looked like she’d be afraid to say boo to a goose”), surprised as anyone to find her bliss in the form of her husband’s farmhand friend who comes to live with them, Jack (Bruce Abbott).  Initially, it seems that Roxy is wondering along with us whether Aaron and Jack are more Brokeback than not.  That might’ve been quite the interesting avenue in 1987.  That is not this movie.

Summer Heat  is exactly one R-rated sex scene away from being an ideal made-for-basic-cable movie of the week.  We get that sex scene, looking every bit like it was shot after the fact in a dark corner that could be anywhere.  It’s indicative of  Summer Heat  working hard to seemingly reinvent itself from prestige miserabilism as just another ‘80s sex drama, so popular on video rental shelves at the time.  Kim Carnes, with her appropriately gravelly voice, sings the full-on adult contemporary theme song, “The Heart Must Have a Home”.  One might go out on a limb and guess that that was the intended title of this movie, and not the misleadingly salacious sounding “ Summer Heat ”.  

One of the increasingly few selling points for  Summer Heat  on Blu-ray (here it is, courtesy of KL Studio Classics) is its picturesque location cinematography and set dressing.  These pleasing factors, maximized in HD, help this warm breeze of a movie to whisp by all the more quickly.  The leads may not warrant the drawing power they once did, though in the decade following its release, the name of costar Kathy Bates might’ve generated some interest at the ‘ol Blockbuster Video.  The very recently departed Clu Gulager enriches the film in a fine supporting role, as well.  These days however, the biggest name involved with  Summer Heat  worked entirely behind the scenes and below the line.  Only sharp-eyed watchers of credits will notice that Peyton Reed, director of the  Ant-Man  films, some great episodes of  The Mandalorian , and other cool projects, served in the Art Department as Assistant Lead Man.  (Probably doing his share of furniture hauling  with the swing gang in a project of this small scale).  Unofficially,  Summer Heat  has to be the least exciting project on Peyton Reed’s filmography.  

Summer Heat , in trying to pass itself off as a hot n’ sultry summer catch, ends up being more of a fling to be flung away unthinkingly.  The results aren’t exactly murder, even when they want to be.  This Roxy, even then, was not the name on everyone’s lips.

Summer Heat

Where to Watch

Lori Singer (Roxy) Anthony Edwards (Aaron) Bruce Abbott (Jack Ruffin) Kathy Bates (Ruth) Clu Gulager (Will) Jessie Kent (Baby) Noble Willingham (Strother) Nesbitt Blaisdell (Bass) Matt Almond (Neb) Jane Cecil (Georgeanna)

Michie Gleason

Roxy, a Depression-era farmer, feels alone and neglected by her husband, who works too much, and is drawn into an ill-advised affair with Jack, her day laborer.

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Where to watch

Summer heat.

Directed by Michie Gleason

Anything can happen in the heat of the moment… even murder!

The young wife of a tobacco farmer falls in love with their handsome hired hand.

Lori Singer Anthony Edwards Bruce Abbott Kathy Bates Clu Gulager Jessie Kent Noble Willingham Nesbitt Blaisdell Matt Almond Jane Cecil Miriam Byrd-Nethery Jessica Leigh Mann Michael Mattick Dorothy McGuire

Director Director

Michie Gleason

Producers Producers

William Tennant Patricia A. Stallone

Writer Writer

Original writer original writer.

Louise Shivers

Casting Casting

Junie Lowry-Johnson

Editor Editor

Cinematography cinematography.

Elliot Davis

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Larry Litton Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Thomas Coleman Michael Rosenblatt

Production Design Production Design

Marcia Hinds

Composer Composer

Richard Stone

Sound Sound

Tom Gerard Nils C. Jensen Clancy T. Troutman

Costume Design Costume Design

Tony Marando

Makeup Makeup

Christa Reusch

Atlantic Entertainment Group

Alternative Titles

炎热的夏天, Summer Heat - Kochende Leidenschaft, Brivido d'estate, 夏日情浓, En la calor de l'estiu

Drama Romance

Releases by Date

29 may 1987, 02 jun 1989, 14 jul 1990, 30 sep 2016, releases by country.

• Physical 16 DVD-Veröffentlichung

80 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by theironcupcake ★★½

"Sometimes I think you're just doin' this 'cause you can't think of anything better to do."

If given the chance, who among us would not step outside of a boring marriage to tobacco farmer Anthony Edwards for some nights (or afternoons, schedule depending) of sweaty passion with lusty hired hand Bruce Abbott? Such is the decision faced by housewife Lori Singer in writer/director Michie Gleason's Summer Heat, which she adapted from the novel Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail by Louise Shivers. In a slim 80 minutes, we observe this uneasy love triangle set on a small tract of land in the South circa 1937, combining sporadic pretty images of flushed skin and damp greenery reminiscent of Days…

Review by Deaner50 ★★

Snore zzzzzzzzzz Lori Singer is gorgeous zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz She looks like Darryl Hanna zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Snorefest.

Review by Jimmy Homan ★★★

Steamy, country-fried tobacco farm noir. Pretty much just a drama, but I like to reach real hard.

Review by ♡ T33thy ♡ ★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I only came here to watch Bruce Abbott as a sweaty farmhand.

Pretty standard as far as romance dramas go (especially the 80s ones), but I actually did enjoy it! My only complaint is the murder was a bit anticlimactic and you could see it happening from a mile away, definitely could have made that a little more unexpected and dramatic.

Review by T 🍂 ★★★

I've been wanting to watch more of Bruce Abbott's filmography, but sadly some of the films he's been in are kind of hard to find, so I was glad when I found this in good quality on youtube!

This movie did not turn out the way I was expecting it would. I was not expecting Bruce Abbott's character to end up doing what he did at the end. As soon as Jack randomly asked Aaron to come to the back of the barn with him, I knew exactly what was going to happen.

The acting in this isn't bad and the movie itself isn't bad either honestly, although I can see how some could find it boring because nothing really happens until the end. Also, Bruce Abbott is very pretty in this but he's always pretty so that's no surprise.

Review by RivoliPalace ★½

In place of the release title “Summer Heat” writer and director Michie Gleason should have copped the moniker “Hot Mess”.  A far more descriptively accurate application for her depression era tobacco farm pot boiler lensed on location in Tarboro, North Carolina.

     Narrated by Roxy Walston (voice over by Dorothy McGuire, acted by Lori Singer), in an attempt to lend this suds-a-thon some history.  It’s 1937 and Roxy is a married woman with a baby affectionately called “Baby” in the film.  She is married to Aaron Walston (Anthony Edwards) who befriends Jack Ruffin (Bruce Abbott).  Jack, a drifter who literally walks into town.

     Seeking employment, Jack enters the funeral home operated by Will (Clu Gulager) who is…

Review by BDUB ★★

Looks great, at least. Director Michie Gleason worked as an assistant on DAYS OF HEAVEN and maybe absorbed a few things visually but that’s about it. This thing is a turd. It’s the movie equivalent of one of those grocery store romance paperbacks. There’s zero chemistry between the leads and while there’s tons of sex, it’s in no way sexy. Unless getting it on in a tobacco field is your thing. Would it kill you to have just a little bit of longing between the two? Would have gone a long way. Also, the movie takes a really unexpected turn the last third and I didn’t buy it one bit. Oh, well

Review by 𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒂 ★★½

Almost everyone turns out to be naive or crazy, and I'm left with more questions than answers.

Review by JeffPoot ★½

A young married couple's life is interrupted when a Bill Pullman stunt double moves to town and works/lives on their struggling tobacco farm. A baby has a mishap with boiling water and there aren't any dogs. lol why did i watch this?

Review by abby 🧪

bruce abbott with a southern accent: me: country boyyyy i love youuuu 👅

Review by Arex ★★

watched it because it was a readily available part of anthony edwards' filmography. he's kinda hot in it. kinda boring. didn't really care, hated all of them. i hope they all got really bad mosquito bites

Review by 📀📀Matt Evans📀📀 ★★½

Fairly vanilla 30’s period drama about a young lady who’s bland farm life results in her cheating on her husband. This then starts the ball rolling on his murder because of the love struck lover.

More a message of empowerment is the vibe I got. The right to say No which Lori Singer’s character had trouble saying to all things in her life.

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Summer Heat

Film details.

• Articles & Reviews

Cast & Crew

Michie gleason, lori singer, anthony edwards, bruce abbott, kathy bates, clu gulager, technical specs.

Jessie Kent

Noble willingham, nesbitt blaisdell, matt almond, miriam byrd-nethery, jessica leigh mann, michael mattick, conrad mclaren, julia beals williams, charmaine mancil, chris bass randolph, robert albertia, charles thomas baxter, lynne anchors hurder, laurens moore, richard emery, mert hatfield, duke ernsberger, robin dale robertson, tony marando, rachel m joyner, charles h gleason, peyton reed, harry middleton, thomas edward andrews, gandhi bob arrollo, dwayne avery, eric g bartsch, jan bergstrom, charlotte brsndstr÷m, ricky james braswell, boots bruner, bert caldwell, david caldwell, samuel e cannon, larry gene cherry, robert eugene cline, thomas coleman, danny crisp, battle davis, elliot davis, georges delerue, bennett eason, george flynn, anthony forester, dennis fuller, kelly gleason, frank godwin, gregory goodman, randy green, dwayne greer, margaret s hamilton, billy wayne harris, rena harris, frank harrison, david harshbarger, vivian hengsteler, jan heyneker, marcia hinds-johnson, andrea horta, karen a hughes, will jennings, nils c jensen, dudley leigh johnson, vivian johnson, adam johnston, alexander j johnston, kelvin jones, linda jones, wayne jones, brendan p kelsh, michael kelsh, clater killebrew, sharon kirkpatrick, james koford, jane kurson, robbie lemons, ellen levene, keith g lewis, larry litton, junie lowry-johnson, lee lighting ltd, monty hayes mcmillan, linda l miller, david moore, mary ann morgan, page nelson, christine m norfleet, tammy o'neal, mitchell osborne, janet petersen, lars petersen, mark a pollard, calvin earl powell, donna proctor, larry reibman, christa reusch-simmons, tony rivetti, lane robinson, elliot lewis rosenblatt, michael rosenblatt, barbara e sasser, leonard seagal, diane seniw, louise shivers, terry snell, fiona spence, patricia a stallone, clyde wilson stalls, tony stephens, michael stocks, richard stone, john strong, mike taylor, dr. peter temple, william tennant, louis terry, gary w tolby, gretchen toma, steve tyrell, thaddeus wadleigh, howard webb, michael d weldon, ron wengler, michael todd wiggins, edward williams, rebekah e wright, jennifer zolten, noble willingham (1931-2004).

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Summer May 29, 1987

Shooting began September 1, 1986.

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Summer Heat (1987)

Directed by michie gleason.

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Watch Summer Heat

• 1 hr 20 min
• 4.8   (392)

Summer Heat is a 1987 romantic drama film that follows the story of a young woman named Sally (played by Lori Singer), whose life is turned upside down when she meets a handsome and mysterious musician named Jake (played by Anthony Edwards). Set in the small town of Eagle Rock, California during the sweltering summer months, the film explores themes of love, passion, and betrayal.

Sally is a talented cellist who dreams of making it big in the music industry. She is dating a successful businessman named Michael (played by Bruce Abbott), who seems to have everything going for him. However, Sally feels unfulfilled in her relationship and yearns for something more. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she meets Jake, a charismatic and enigmatic musician who captures her heart.

At first, Sally is hesitant to pursue a relationship with Jake since he seems to be hiding a dark past. However, the more she gets to know him, the more she is drawn to his magnetic personality and raw talent. As they spend more time together, their chemistry becomes undeniable, and they fall deeply in love.

Despite Sally's newfound happiness, things begin to unravel when Michael finds out about her affair with Jake. He realizes that he could lose Sally forever and becomes increasingly jealous and possessive. Meanwhile, Jake's past catches up with him, and he is forced to confront some old demons that threaten to tear apart his relationship with Sally.

The film is directed by Michie Gleason and boasts stunning cinematography that captures the scorching heat of the California summer. The soundtrack features original music from renowned composer Bill Conti, which adds to the film's romantic and dramatic tone.

Lori Singer delivers a captivating performance as Sally, a conflicted woman torn between two men and her passion for music. Anthony Edwards portrays Jake as a brooding and mysterious musician, whose past haunts him at every turn. Bruce Abbott shines as Michael, the successful businessman whose love for Sally blinds him to her desires and aspirations.

Summer Heat is a timeless film that explores the complexities of love and relationships. It invites the audience to feel the heat of passion and the pain of betrayal, while showcasing the beauty and magic of newfound love. It's a film that will leave a lasting impression on viewers and remind them of the power of love, even in the hottest of summers.

Summer Heat is a 1987 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 20 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.8.

• Genres Drama Romance
• Cast Lori Singer Anthony Edwards Bruce Abbott
• Director Michie Gleason
• Release Date 1987
• MPAA Rating R
• Runtime 1 hr 20 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 4.8   (392)

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Summer Heat’ On Netflix, Where Young Workers At A Brazilian Resort Go Through The Usual Romance And Drama

Where to stream:.

• Summer Heat

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Bionic’ on Netflix, A Brazilian Action Movie With Bolt-On Sci-Fi Parts 

Stream it or skip it: ‘good morning, veronica: season 3’ on netflix, the final episodes of this grim brazilian crime-drama, stream it or skip it: 'luz: the light of the heart' on netflix, about a 9-year-old who runs from her indigenous family in order to find the truth about her roots, stream it or skip it: ‘a vampire in the family’ on netflix, a leandro hassum slapstick comedy that's just plain bats.

It’s pretty cold outside right now in parts of the United States. Bone-chilling cold, in fact. In other parts, there’s deep snow that won’t melt until April. Omicron and winter are keeping people inside. It’s the perfect time to see a series with hot young people go through their various hot young people drama at a resort during the peak summer season, don’t you think?

SUMMER HEAT : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Scenes of the Maresia Hotel and the resort island it’s on. Pretty people are milling near the pool.

The Gist: It’s the first day for a new group of young employees at the hotel, right before the summer peak season starts. As the co-owner Vilma (Mayana Neiva) brings Helena (Giovanna Rispoli), Conrado (Maicon Rodrigues) and Yasmin (Gabz) to their rooms, Vilma’s husband Maresia (Felipe Rocha) tells them that they need all hands on deck for that night’s party.

The party is for Catarina (Giovanna Lancellotti), who is about to go to Switzerland for her MBA. In the middle of the party, her boyfriend Rodrigo (Leonardo Bittencourt) proposes and she says yes, with both doing it in a surprisingly perfunctory manner. Not long after the proposal, Rodrigo’s buddies encourage him to “celebrate” his last night as a single person; he chats up Helena as she works and they go to a back room. Inevitably, Catarina sees them making out and taking off each other’s clothes.

But that’s not the worst thing that happens that night. The police invade the party and arrest Catarina’s mother on corruption and money laundering charges. Vilma and Maresia offer their guest room for her to sleep in, and during some online retail therapy, she finds out that her credit cards are frozen. In fact, she has no money to speak of, since it was all tied in to her mother’s accounting business and money laundering.

There’s also drama among the staff: Yasmin tries to find something that shows evidence of Maresia’s travels around the year she was born; Conrado is frustrated when his parents check up on him on his “management training program”, which the budding musician completely lied about. Marilla (Cynthia Senek) wants to know if Diego (Jorge Lopez) is ready to take their relationship to the next level, which involves getting to know her daughter. Miguel (André Luiz Frambach) hid a brick of what looks like weed in Conrado’s guitar case when the cops came, and as he befriends the young singer, he tries to get access to the case.

Finally, Catarina finds out that Rodrigo was put up to the proposal by her mother, and she dumps him. Needing a job and with nowhere else to turn, she grabs a staff t-shirt in an effort to help Conrado defend himself to his parents, and basically drafts herself onto the staff. Everyone is happy to have her… except for Yasmin, who says that they’re complete opposites.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? In a lot of ways,  Summer Heat  (original title: Temporada de Verão ) reminds us of the Apple series  Acapulco , even though it’s a bit more drama-oriented than that show, and takes place now instead of the ’80s.

Our Take: Summer Heat is a mostly-okay show about pretty young people who spend a summer at a resort whose staff becomes more like family to the owners than just employees. There are romances, conflicts, love triangles, and other dramas. Some secrets are revealed. People kiss and maybe have some sex.

It’s all pretty low-stakes stuff, but at least it’s well-shot and well-acted low-stakes stuff. Your enjoyment of the show will depend on what kind of energy level you’re expecting from a show like this.

None of the stories tread new ground. You have the wealthy young woman who gets cut off and has to learn to get by on her own. At least in this case, Catarina is smart and seems to have some business sense, and she pretty quickly realizes that she’ll need to think quickly in order to get by. You have the rebellious city-based teen who has shocking news, the pretty boy who has to choose between his girlfriend and a new woman in his life, the kid who is trying to defy his parents’ wishes to follow a dream, and a few others who are largely undefined.

For the most part, it seems that the first season will have all of these story threads intertwining around each other, but if there’s any overarching story for all of them, we can’t find one. And that’s just fine if you are looking for a show that’s just about a bunch of 20-somethings working a summer season at a resort. But if you’re looking for a bit more dramatic oomph, it’s best to look elsewhere.

Sex and Skin: Nothing much in the first episode; even Rodrigo and Helena keep their clothes mostly on as they make out at the party.

Parting Shot: Yasmin knocks on Maresia’s door to inform him that she’s his daughter.

Sleeper Star: Maicon Rodrigues has a tough job playing the sheltered Conrado, and he does a decent job making him strong despite having some pretty overbearing parents.

Most Pilot-y Line: Catarina’s friends bail on her when they say they’re going for a massage, then they both exit the group text chain the three of them are in. What did Catarina do? She’s not the one who laundered money!

Our Call: STREAM IT. Like we said, there isn’t much high-stakes drama in  Summer Heat . But the scenery is nice and the actors are all appealing, and sometimes that’s more than enough.

Will you stream or skip the Brazilian romantic comedy #SummerHeat on @netflix ? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) January 22, 2022

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere.

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Summer heat, common sense media reviewers.

Run-of-the-mill drama focuses on romance at a sunny resort.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Themes such as teamwork, acceptance.

These characters are a flawed crew but overall mea

The show is based in Brazil, and the main characte

Frequent bursts of fist fighting.

Passionate kissing and making out. Characters enga

Words like f–k," "damn," and "hell."

Lots of partying and drinking, and drug use.

Parents need to know that Summer Heat is a drama following a group of young workers at Hotel Maresia. Characters work together as a team and work through their own flaws as they try to help each other out. There's fist fighting and words like "f--k," "damn," and "hell." There's some heavy making out and off…

Positive Messages

Positive role models.

These characters are a flawed crew but overall mean well. There can be some petty spats, but they also work together as a team (on and off the clock) to help each other out the best they can.

Diverse Representations

The show is based in Brazil, and the main characters are of different genders, races, and ethnicities. There are several conversations that slightly touch on sexuality, colonization, racism, body image, and mental health.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Passionate kissing and making out. Characters engage in sex (off-screen.) Emphasis on relationships, virginity, and sex.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Summer Heat is a drama following a group of young workers at Hotel Maresia. Characters work together as a team and work through their own flaws as they try to help each other out. There's fist fighting and words like "f--k," "damn," and "hell." There's some heavy making out and off-screen sex, plus frequent drinking, partying, and drug use. The hotel is in Brazil, and the characters are of different genders, races, and ethnicities. Conversations sometimes touch on race, sexuality, and mental health.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

It's the season of SUMMER HEAT at Hotel Maresia, where visitors come for a relaxing, stress-free, sunny getaway. But for the young staff at the hotel, relaxing is far from reality. The youthful workers include a boy trying to pursue his dreams, a girl in search of answers, and a woman starting an exciting new chapter in her life. As they join the veteran staff, owners Maresia ( Felipe Rocha ) and Vilma ( Mayana Neiva ) have their work cut out for them as they try to keep the hotel running amidst the romance, secrets, and drama.

Is It Any Good?

Though they're young adults working at a hotel, the characters in this show could be confused with high schoolers at summer camp. Despite this, the drama in Summer Heat propels it forward and keeps viewers wanting to know what happens next. It does include the usual elements of a high school drama, such as simple misunderstandings that conflate the plot, and the typical who-kissed-who conflicts.

But the show does include pretty interesting conversations, such as sexuality, race, and even a character confronting a compulsive shopping addiction. The characters do get into petty spats every now and again, but in the end, they do help each other out in their own way.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the hotel. What brought each Summer Heat character to work there? What priorities change over time for these characters as the show goes on? What skills do these characters bring to the hotel?

How do the characters demonstrate teamwork ? What are some examples from when they're working versus in their free time? Why is it important?

• Premiere date : January 21, 2022
• Cast : Felipe Rocha , Mayana Neiva
• Network : Netflix
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Friendship
• Character Strengths : Teamwork
• TV rating : NR
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Home » Endings Explained

Summer Heat ending explained – who leaves and who stays on the island?

This article contains major spoilers for the Summer Heat ending. You can read our spoiler-free season review by clicking these words .

In many ways, Summer Heat is your typical teen drama — perhaps even more of one than usual. While it has its share of archetypal characters, none of them really develop all that much, and the predicaments they find themselves in are low-stakes. Still, since there are a fair amount of characters, there’s also a lot of stuff going on, and if a second season is to happen, there are plenty of threads left to tug on and unravel (should anyone be interested). So, that’s what we’re going to break down here.

Summer Heat ending explained

The first season is largely about growth. In it, several strangers come together and become firm friends in a haze of hormones and the idyllic setting sun. Many mistakes are made, some bigger than others, but the show is ultimately about learning to move on together, as family and friends, and you see this reflected in a lot of the different character dynamics and subplots.

On some level, the season ends with a reset. As they did at the very beginning, the team assemble, and Maresia says he needs their help. That’s how things started, and though things have changed in the meantime, that’s also how they end. Maresia, in particular, has been central in Yasmin’s arc, and her acceptance of him as her father was one of the major ongoing storylines of the season.

So, too, was Yasmin’s love life, and despite veering, she seems to be official with Miguel and equipped with a better understanding of his anxieties and fears. The other major romantic subplot was shared between Helena and Leo, though despite a pregnancy “scare”, it didn’t amount to much beyond a trite coming-of-age angle.

After bottling it with the surfing scout, Rodrigo is appointed as the resort’s new manager, determined to prove that he’s not just in the position because of nepotism. Conrado already left the island, and Diego announces he will be too, in order to continue studying medicine. But Diego at least got his big moment, overcoming his lingering trauma over the death of his brother and making good on that lifeguard license. With Catarina out of the picture, their relationship was a non-starter, so you can understand his decision to leave.

Yes, Catarina is gone, led away in handcuffs after the whole fraud debacle, and it’s really this subplot that provides the most justification for a follow-up season. Since she sent a voice note to Yasmin explaining that she recognizes she was wrong but hopes to get the chance to explain someday, it’s clear there’s more to her story if Netflix is interested in commissioning it. I think there’s a solid foundation for a continuation here, but we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds .

You can stream Summer Heat exclusively on Netflix . Do you have any thoughts on the Summer Heat ending? Let us know in the comments.

Article by Jonathon Wilson

Jonathon is one of the co-founders of Ready Steady Cut and has been an instrumental part of the team since its inception in 2017. Jonathon has remained involved in all aspects of the site’s operation, mainly dedicated to its content output, remaining one of its primary Entertainment writers while also functioning as our dedicated Commissioning Editor, publishing over 6,500 articles.

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10 Scorching Genre Movies for Summer's First Heat Wave

The official start of summer is a few weeks off, but try explaining the nuances of the seasonal calendar to that glowing ball of heat in the sky. With sticky, sweaty weather pulling into the station for the next several months, it’s time to fire up some similarly scorching streaming titles.

The year is 2057 (50 years after Sunshine hit theaters) and the sun is dying. As Earth threatens to collapse into a deep freeze, a group of astronauts (including Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong, Troy Garity, Cliff Curtis, and Shōgun’s Hiroyuki Shimozawa) hope to jump-start it with a specially engineered bomb. Things heat up, literally and plot-wise, as they approach their target and undertake an unexpected side mission, rescuing a thought-to-be-lost astronaut who’s spent way too much time too close to the sun. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

Firestarter

Of all the supernatural abilities to have, being able to ignite fire with a glare is up there with “most terrifying”—especially when that power is had by a young girl who’s still working on her self-control. Stream on Netflix .

Like Firestarter, this 1983 release is another Stephen King adaptation that makes heat one of its horrors. (He also has quite a few stories that make you fear the cold , too.) Yes, the rabid dog is the primary antagonist, but the situation is made so much worse by the fact that the main characters have to take refuge in their car with all the windows rolled up. Being ripped apart by a massive canine is almost preferable to a slow, agonizing death by heat stroke. Stream on Max .

The Burning

Fast Times at Ridgemont High’s Brian Backer leads a cast of future famous faces (Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens) in this classic 1981 slasher about a summer-camp caretaker who returns for revenge after being horribly burned in a prank gone wrong. Make-up legend Tom Savini did the special effects, which means they’re guaranteed to be gruesomely memorable. Stream free with ads on Tubi ; stream on Prime Video .

Mad Max: Fury Road

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is still in theaters, but you can revisit what comes after with a special emphasis on the fact that one of the bad guy’s many sins is that he hoards water from the very, very desperately thirsty people who populate the Wasteland. Stream on Hulu .

Ari Aster’s 2018 debut imagines a family situation so fraught —decapitations, demon traditions, dollhouses—that when the one semi-normal member suddenly bursts into flames, you start to think spontaneous human combustion was maybe his best option. Stream on Max .

As an LAPD lieutenant caught up in what is clearly the weirdest case he’ll ever encounter, Danny Glover brings gravitas and gallons of sweat to this stupidly fun 1990 sequel set during a raging 1997 Los Angeles heatwave. Amid the grime of downtown, there’s a murder epidemic... and an invisible alien who leaves intricately awful crime scenes behind just might be to blame. Stream on Hulu .

The Hills Have Eyes

Wes Craven’s second feature is as distressing as it was back in 1977, following a suburban family (including Cujo’s Dee Wallace) who decide to take their RV on a shortcut through a stretch of rocky desert en route to Los Angeles. Imagine their surprise when they realize the area is home to a pack of opportunistic cannibals who are simply delighted about the intrusion. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

House of Wax

A few different versions of this tale exist—including the 2005 remake starring Paris Hilton—but the 1953 Vincent Price -starrer is the standout. It begins with a feud between turn-of-the-century wax-museum partners; one has artistic principles (Price’s sculptor character, naturally) while the other only sees dollar signs. A terrible fire breaks out and from there, a tale of revenge takes shape—involving bubbling vats of boiling-hot wax. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

Kind of an inverse Sunshine, this goofy 2003 sci-fi tale imagines that the Earth’s molten core has stopped spinning, a situation that requires a ragtag team of scientists and daredevils (Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, Delroy Lindo, Alfre Woodard, D.J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, and more) to figure out how to save the planet ASAP. Drilling, lasers, nukes, a specially designed ship, a top-secret government project gone awry, some large-scale disaster scenes (RIP, Golden Gate Bridge), and literal “unobtainium” come together in this heat-seeking journey to the center of you-know-where. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

For the latest news, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

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10 Scorching Genre Movies for Summer's First Heat Wave

10 scorching genre movies for summer's first heat wave, when the weather's hotter than hell outside, it's time to dive into a cool stream of fiery horror and sci-fi films..

The official start of summer is a few weeks off, but try explaining the nuances of the seasonal calendar to that glowing ball of heat in the sky. With sticky, sweaty weather pulling into the station for the next several months, it’s time to fire up some similarly scorching streaming titles.

The year is 2057 (50 years after Sunshine hit theaters) and the sun is dying. As Earth threatens to collapse into a deep freeze, a group of astronauts (including Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong, Troy Garity, Cliff Curtis, and Shōgun ’s Hiroyuki Shimozawa) hope to jump-start it with a specially engineered bomb. Things heat up, literally and plot-wise, as they approach their target and undertake an unexpected side mission, rescuing a thought-to-be-lost astronaut who’s spent way too much time too close to the sun. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

Firestarter

Of all the supernatural abilities to have, being able to ignite fire with a glare is up there with “most terrifying”—especially when that power is had by a young girl who’s still working on her self-control. Stream on Netflix .

Like Firestarter , this 1983 release is another Stephen King adaptation that makes heat one of its horrors. (He also has quite a few stories that make you fear the cold , too.) Yes, the rabid dog is the primary antagonist, but the situation is made so much worse by the fact that the main characters have to take refuge in their car with all the windows rolled up. Being ripped apart by a massive canine is almost preferable to a slow, agonizing death by heat stroke. Stream on Max .

The Burning

Fast Times at Ridgemont High ’s Brian Backer leads a cast of future famous faces (Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens) in this classic 1981 slasher about a summer-camp caretaker who returns for revenge after being horribly burned in a prank gone wrong. Make-up legend Tom Savini did the special effects, which means they’re guaranteed to be gruesomely memorable. Stream free with ads on Tubi ; stream on Prime Video .

Mad Max: Fury Road

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is still in theaters, but you can revisit what comes after with a special emphasis on the fact that one of the bad guy’s many sins is that he hoards water from the very, very desperately thirsty people who populate the Wasteland. Stream on Hulu .

Ari Aster’s 2018 debut imagines a family situation so fraught —decapitations, demon traditions, dollhouses—that when the one semi-normal member suddenly bursts into flames, you start to think spontaneous human combustion was maybe his best option. Stream on Max .

As an LAPD lieutenant caught up in what is clearly the weirdest case he’ll ever encounter, Danny Glover brings gravitas and gallons of sweat to this stupidly fun 1990 sequel set during a raging 1997 Los Angeles heatwave. Amid the grime of downtown, there’s a murder epidemic... and an invisible alien who leaves intricately awful crime scenes behind just might be to blame. Stream on Hulu .

The Hills Have Eyes

Wes Craven’s second feature is as distressing as it was back in 1977, following a suburban family (including Cujo ’s Dee Wallace) who decide to take their RV on a shortcut through a stretch of rocky desert en route to Los Angeles. Imagine their surprise when they realize the area is home to a pack of opportunistic cannibals who are simply delighted about the intrusion. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

House of Wax

A few different versions of this tale exist—including the 2005 remake starring Paris Hilton—but the 1953 Vincent Price -starrer is the standout. It begins with a feud between turn-of-the-century wax-museum partners; one has artistic principles (Price’s sculptor character, naturally) while the other only sees dollar signs. A terrible fire breaks out and from there, a tale of revenge takes shape—involving bubbling vats of boiling-hot wax. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

Kind of an inverse Sunshine , this goofy 2003 sci-fi tale imagines that the Earth’s molten core has stopped spinning, a situation that requires a ragtag team of scientists and daredevils (Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Stanley Tucci, Delroy Lindo, Alfre Woodard, D.J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, and more) to figure out how to save the planet ASAP. Drilling, lasers, nukes, a specially designed ship, a top-secret government project gone awry, some large-scale disaster scenes (RIP, Golden Gate Bridge), and literal “unobtainium” come together in this heat-seeking journey to the center of you-know-where. Rent or buy on Prime Video .

Top 50 Summer Movies to Watch for a Cool At-Home Experience

W hen the summer heat becomes too much to bear, nothing beats relaxing indoors with a lineup of iconic films that perfectly encapsulate the joy and excitement of the season. Summer has long been a muse for filmmakers, providing a vibrant backdrop for tales of romance, adventure, and self-discovery.

With a wealth of cinematic treasures to choose from, we’ve curated a diverse list of films that either chronicle the essence of summer or have emerged as summer blockbusters themselves, leaving an indelible mark on the season they debuted.

Whether you’re in the mood for a sunny escapade or a string of sequels to extend the fun (think Mamma Mia! and its lively sequel, or the thrilling Jaws franchise), our definitive roster of the 50 best summer movies of all time is here to deliver the perfect dose of seasonal entertainment.

Ultimate Summer Film Catalog

50. adventureland (2009), 49. forgetting sarah marshall (2008), 1. jaws (1975), frequently asked questions (faqs).

What defines a summer movie?

Summer movies often embody the season’s spirit through their settings, narratives revolving around holidays or vacations, or simply through their release during the summer months, typically seen as a period for blockbuster hits.

Are these movies suitable for all ages?

The list includes a varied selection of genres catering to different age groups. Parental guidance is recommended for select movies that may include mature content.

Can I find these movies on streaming platforms?

Many of the listed movies can be found on popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and others. Availability may vary by region.

Why are sequels and franchises often released during summer?

Summer provides movie studios with a large audience looking for entertainment during the holiday season, making it prime time for maximizing viewership for new films and successful franchises.

From heartwarming coming-of-age stories to pulse-pounding adventures and timeless romantic dramas, the 50 best summer movies of all time offer something for everyone. They’re the perfect antidote to a sweltering summer day or a delightful way to spend a balmy evening. So, grab your favorite snacks, crank up the air conditioning, and embark on a cinematic journey that will transport you to the sun-soaked, carefree days of summer.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

There is a sequence at the center of Michael Mann's "Heat" that illuminates the movie's real subject. As it begins, a Los Angeles police detective named Hanna ( Al Pacino ) has been tracking a high-level thief named McCauley ( Robert De Niro ) for days. McCauley is smart and wary and seems impossible to trap. So, one evening, tailing McCauley's car, Hanna turns on the flashers and pulls him over.

McCauley carefully shifts the loaded gun he is carrying. He waits in his car. Hanna approaches it and says, "What do you say I buy you a cup of coffee?" McCauley says that sounds like a good idea.

The two men sit across from each other at a Formica table in a diner: Middle-aged, weary, with too much experience in their lines of work, they know exactly what they represent to one other, but for this moment of truce they drink their coffee.

McCauley is a professional thief, skilled and gifted. When Hanna subtly suggests otherwise, he says, "You see me doing thrill-seeker liquor store holdups with a 'Born to Lose' tattoo on my chest?" No, says the cop, he doesn't. The conversation comes to an end. The cop says, "I don't know how to do anything else." The thief says, "Neither do I." The scene concentrates the truth of "Heat," which is that these cops and robbers need each other: They occupy the same space, sealed off from the mainstream of society, defined by its own rules.

They are enemies, but in a sense they are more intimate, more involved with each other than with those who are supposed to be their friends - their women, for example.

The movie's other subject is the women. Two of the key players in "Heat" have wives, and in the course of the movie, McCauley will fall in love, which is against his policy. Hanna is working on his third marriage, with a woman named Justice ( Diane Venora ), who is bitter because his job obsesses him: "You live among the remains of dead people." One of McCauley's crime partners is a thief named Shiherlis ( Val Kilmer ), whose wife is Charlene ( Ashley Judd ).

McCauley's own policy is never to get involved in anything that he can't shed in 30 seconds flat. One day in a restaurant he gets into a conversation with Eady ( Amy Brenneman ), who asks him a lot of questions. "Lady," he says to her, "why are you so interested in what I do?" She is lonely. "I am alone," he tells her. "I am not lonely." He is in fact the loneliest man in the world, and soon finds that he needs her.

This is the age-old conflict in American action pictures, between the man with "man's work" and the female principal, the woman who wants to tame him, wants him to stay at home. "Heat," with an uncommonly literate screenplay by Mann, handles it with insight. The men in his movie are addicted to their lives. There is a scene where the thieves essentially have all the money they need. They can retire. McCauley even has a place picked out in New Zealand. But another job presents itself, and they cannot resist it: "It's the juice. It's the action." The movie intercuts these introspective scenes with big, bravura sequences of heists and shoot-outs. It opens with a complicated armored car robbery involving stolen semis and tow trucks. It continues with a meticulously conceived bank robbery.

McCauley is the mastermind. Hanna is the guy assigned to guess his next move.

The cops keep McCauley and his crew under 24-hour surveillance, and one day follow them to an isolated warehouse area, where the thieves stand in the middle of a vast space and McCauley outlines some plan to them. Later, the cops stand in the same place, trying to figure out what plan the thieves could possibly have had in mind. No target is anywhere in view. Suddenly Hanna gets it: "You know what they're looking at? They're looking at us - the LAPD. We just got made." He is right. McCauley is now on a roof looking at them through a lens, having smoked out his tail.

De Niro and Pacino, veterans of so many great films in the crime genre, have by now spent more time playing cops and thieves than most cops and thieves have. There is always talk about how actors study people to base their characters on. At this point in their careers, if Pacino and De Niro go out to study a cop or a robber, it's likely their subject will have modeled himself on their performances in old movies. There is absolute precision of effect here, the feeling of roles assumed instinctively.

What is interesting is the way Mann tests these roles with the women. The wives and girlfriends in this movie are always, in a sense, standing at the kitchen door, calling to the boys to come in from their play. Pacino's wife, played by Venora with a smart bitterness, is the most unforgiving: She is married to a man who brings corpses into bed with him in his dreams. Her daughter, rebellious and screwed up, is getting no fathering from him. Their marriage is a joke, and when he catches her with another man, she accurately says he forced her to demean herself.

The other women, played by Judd and Brenneman, are not quite so insightful. They still have some delusions, although Brenneman, who plays a graphic artist, balks as any modern woman would when this strange, secretive man expects her to leave her drawing boards and her computer and follow him to uncertainty in New Zealand.

Michael Mann's writing and direction elevate this material.

It's not just an action picture. Above all, the dialogue is complex enough to allow the characters to say what they're thinking: They are eloquent, insightful, fanciful, poetic when necessary. They're not trapped with cliches. Of the many imprisonments possible in our world, one of the worst must be to be inarticulate - to be unable to tell another person what you really feel. These characters can do that. Not that it saves them.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Heat (1995)

Rated R For Violence and Language

174 minutes

Al Pacino as Vincent Hanna

Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley

Val Kilmer as Chris Shiherlis

Jon Voight as Nate

Produced, Written and Directed by

• Michael Mann

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