Griffin in Summer

Griffin in Summer is a 2024 American independent coming-of-age comedy film. Written and directed by Nicholas Colia in his directorial debut, it stars Everett Blunck, Melanie Lynskey, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Fortson, and Kathryn Newton.

Griffin in Summer
Directed by	Nicholas Colia
Written by	Nicholas Colia
Produced by	Juliet Berman Bobby Hoppey Camila Mendes Rachel Matthews Matthew Miller
Starring	Everett Blunck Melanie Lynskey Owen Teague Abby Ryder Fortson Kathryn Newton
Cinematography	Felipe Vara de Rey
Edited by	Sam Levy Jon Higgins
Music by	Nami Melumad
Production companies	Honor Role Spiral Stairs Entertainment Coveside Films Tricky Knot
Distributed by	Vertical
Release dates	June 6, 2024 (2024-06-06) (Tribeca) August 29, 2025 (2025-08-29) (United States)
Running time	90 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 6, 2024 and is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 29, 2025.^[2]

Premise

Griffin Nafly is the most ambitious playwright of his generation. He's also fourteen years old and living with his parents in a humdrum suburb. But when a handsome 25-year-old enters the picture, Griffin's life—and his new play—take an unexpected turn.

Cast

• Everett Blunck as Griffin
• Melanie Lynskey as Helen
• Owen Teague as Brad
• Abby Ryder Fortson as Kara
• Michael Esper as Griffin's father
• Kathryn Newton as Chloe

Production

The film was shot mainly outside Richmond, Virginia, with some scenes shot in New York City. From conception to completion, it took around four years to make.^[3] It was produced by Camila Mendes and Rachel Matthews under their Honor Role banner.^[4]

Release and reception

Griffin in Summer had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 6, 2024,^[5] where it won three awards: Best U.S. Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, and a Special Jury Mention for director Colia.^[6] In May 2025, Vertical acquired distribution rights to the film.^[7]

The film received a positive reception, with IndieWire's Kate Erbland calling it "a very fine [directorial] debut",^[8] and Screen Rant describing it as "a masterful coming-of-age comedy and one of 2024's best films".^[9] Elsewhere, critics compared it favorably to the work of Wes Anderson and Todd Solondz,^[10][11] while praising the performances of Everett Blunck and Melanie Lynskey.^[12][13] It holds a 94% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 16 reviews.^[14]