Getting in troubleis often part of being a teenager, butConor SherryandGabriel LaBelleare about to be in another world of trouble. The pair star inAdam Rehmeier’ssemi-autobiographicalR-rated coming-of-age comedySnack Shack, in which they run the titular concessions stand amid a transformational summer for them. To get control of the shack, however, they put up a $3,001 bid, a serious amount of cash for a pair of teenagers and especially for a fixer-upper. Collider can exclusively share an extended sneak peek that shows exactly how the boys get the money andthe furious response from their parents when they find out.
The whole saga begins when A.J. (Sherry) and Moose (LaBelle)discuss potential job opportunities in the summer while brewing their own beer.Moose suggests going all-in on the snack shack at the public pool, but A.J. points out they’re far short of the cash they need. That’s when Moose pitches him on an awful plan - to drain their savings accounts to pay for the bid. It doesn’t go as planned with the manager and their parents' friend seeing right through their high-rolling businessmen disguises, but they still walk away with enough cash in hand to make the bid. When they do, however, they make complete fools of themselves by bidding far over the $300 put up by the next-highest prospective buyer and, in turn,invoke the wrath of A.J.’s parents who had the money saved for college or a car. Just when things couldn’t get worse, their homemade hooch is discovered, prompting his mom and dad to prepare him for a military academy.
Set in Nebraska City in 1991,Snack Shackcovers many of the schemes Rehmeier and his best friend got up to during their break one year. Although things look grim for A.J.,their summer still promises a lot of fun and laughsas he and Moose try to strike it rich through their business venture. Everything threatens to come unglued, however, when the effortlessly cool Brooke (Mika Abdalla) comes to town and becomes the new lifeguard.Romance is in the airas both teens fall hard for her, leaving their friendship and their summer plans in peril.
‘Snack Shack’s Cast and Crew Became Close While Filming the Comedy
In addition to the love triangle ofTerminal Listalum Sherry,The Fabelmansbreakout LaBelle, andSex Appeal’s Abdalla,Snack Shackalso boasts the talents ofNick RobinsonandDavid Costabileamong others. While working together with Rehmeier, the cast got to know the director well, especially since the film was primarily shot in his hometown of Nebraska City. Duringa Q&A withSteve Weintraubat aCollider-exclusive screening, Abdalla attested to how unique an experience it was getting to work on a film that meant the world to its director because of the personal connection:
“I think what was really special about this movie in particular and getting to be a part of this movie in particular was just how much it meant to Adam. We had a lot of time to get close to Adam while we were shooting and so it kind of became not just telling this guy’s story, it became telling our friend’s story, and that just made it so special and so fun. As we’re shooting each scene, he’s like, ‘Oh, this is the story behind this…’ When we’re hiding behind the screen in the theater and Adam’s like, ‘I remember doing this when I was your age.’ That is an experience that I’ve never had before, and I don’t know if I’ll have again. It’s so special.
Robinson, similarly, said filming in the real location where these events happened felt like a throwback style of movie making.Snack Shackoperated as a sort of summer vacation for the castto spend time in and become intimately familiar with Rehmeier’s home and his roots:
“I would just echo both of those things. I think Nebraska City as a place became a character in the movie, and it was really cool to be able to spend a summer in the actual place that it happened, at the pool in the hometown. It’s kind of a throwback filmmaking in a way that I hadn’t experienced in a while. It felt sort of like some of the first films that I did, and it was cool to be able to go back and see the process through eyes that were younger and less jaded than mine, maybe. [Laughs] It was just a special process. And getting to know Adam and his family and the town and the story behind it, and just having that context was really special.”
Snack Shackarrives on digital platforms tomorrow, April 2. Check out the exclusive sneak peek below.
Snack Shack
Nebraska City, 1991, two best friends get the chance to run the swimming pool snack shack, that later comes to be the perfect scenario for transgression, fun, personal discovery and romance.
