Micky’s Summer Resort is an indie farce about a summer spent at a nudist (er, “naturist,” rather) resort by a Catholic teenager named Micky (Michael Soulema). Micky’s need for income, and his parent’s experience with the lifestyle, lead him to take a job as a screener for the resort. His role is to assess applicants to filter out anyone who’s going to be creepy or inappropriate. Micky seems a normal enough boy until the revelation of a supernatural power that makes him uniquely qualified to eliminate the unwelcome influences at the resort. However, thoughts of romance distract Micky from his duties as he winds up falling for a girl his age whose family is associated with the resort.
Micky’s supernatural ability is reminiscent of the supernatural elements of Charlie Kaufman’s Being John Malkovich. Using his special gifts leads to dramatic conflict, and Micky finds himself in several difficult situations, including having to deal with the secret source of his powers. In the middle of his social and mystical intrigue, he learns that the resort is planning to generate sales by hosting a traditional beauty pageant featuring nude women in a competition for their looks. Suffice to say, there is a lot going on this summer for the young man.
“…about a summer spent at a nudist resort by a Catholic teenager named Micky…”
Casual, non-sexual nudity is featured throughout Micky’s Summer Resort, though not, thankfully, of the underage characters. The film opens with a disclaimer assuring the viewer that no underage actors were exposed to nudity, either. Director-writer Tony T.L. Young has embarked on an ambitious project here, and he fights a war on many fronts. He seems to be trying to normalize the idea of public nudity but in the context of a sex farce like American Pie or Porky’s.
The pace and tone of the dialogue and production quality feel like porn, or perhaps more like old late-night cable channel soft porn. But again, there’s almost no sex. There is, however, juvenile humor that goes for the gross-out, the occasional fat joke, and the questionable wisdom of presenting a woman’s beauty pageant at a nude resort. If the goal is to normalize social nudity by representing all ages and body types, the contest probably sends the wrong message. That doesn’t keep the film from being fun and funny, though.
That said, this is supposed to be light-hearted fun, and nothing here should be taken too seriously. The acting is solid. While the narrative is scattered to the point that the script is almost incidental, Soulema’s performance as Micky is lively enough to keep the viewer engaged throughout. With no negative judgment whatsoever, it’s safe to say that if you’re into voyeurism presented as a semi-wholesome object lesson romp about nudity, then Micky’s Summer Resort will amuse you.
