A risky, long distance lake skate is a great idea for a coming of age picture. While the other aspects were cliched, this concept kept it fresh.
They gave us a glimpse of character development before the big adventure, so we could guess at how each boy would handle it, or perhaps be surprised. But the build-up on land was very short. Because we got more of it out on the lake. They got right to the action and let the characters develop further during the adventure.
But since so little time was spent getting to know the town or the parents, I didn't feel the angst of the kids viscerally. It could have been a more edgy working class drama. Instead it was more like a Disney.
The lead boy carried it competently. I liked his authentic reaction to his mom after the skate, and his early reluctance with the girl. Good facial expressions and outbursts.
Like most coming of age stories, we see who is strong, who is weak, and who makes progress. Our lead made progress. We liked him and rooted for him. Meanwhile we were entertained by the adventure.
