Summer of '94

Summer of '94 is a 2023 comedy-drama coming-of-age movie directed by Fred Savage and Melissa Joan Hart. It is an affectionate parody of movies set in the ‘90s.

Summary

Set in the summer of 1994, four different types of teenagers discover the true meaning of grunge, hip hop, pop, and of course, slow R&B ballads. One is a Madonna fangirl, one is an angst-ridden grunge rocker, one is a wannabe hip hop rapper and the other one is a rebellious teenage girl.

Cast

• Michael Campion as Ernest Nichols, a 15-year-old angst-ridden grunge rocker.
• Madison Hu as Gretchen Yang, a rebellious 16-year-old teenage girl.
• Xolo Maridueña as Ryan Gonzalez, a wannabe hip hop rapper. He is 16.
• Skai Jackson as Lillian Cook, a Madonna fangirl. She is 15.
• Trinitee as Irene Cook, Lillian's 12-year-old sister.
• Bianca and Chiara D'Ambrosio as Melinda and Melissa Atoms, Irene's friends who are identical twin sisters.
• Anna Paquin as Brenda "Brendie" Nichols, Ernest's mother.
• Chad Michael Murray as Curtis "Curt" Nichols, Ernest's father.
• Kelly Hu as Susan "Su" Yang-Lyons, a divorced housewife and Gretchen's mother.
• Ty Burrell as George Lyons, Gretchen's "father" (read: stepfather).
• Philip Zhao as Bao Yang, Gretchen's 14-year-old brother.
• Joshua Rush as Omri Salomons, a Jewish friend of Ernest's.
• Nathan Arenas as Mateo Gonzalez, Ryan's 14-year-old brother.
• Ariana Greenblatt as Dorothy "Doria" Gonzalez, Ryan's 10-year-old sister.
• Jade Pettyjohn as Prudence Enderson, a Blockbuster cashier.

Announcement

On September 2020, Melissa Joan Hart and Fred Savage will announce the movie they will be directing is set in 1994 called Summer of '94. On October 13, 2020, the cast is announced: Michael Campion, Madison Hu, Xolo Maridueña, Trinitee and Skai Jackson. On November 2, 2020, more cast members were announced as well: Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio, Anna Paquin, Chad Michael Murray, Kelley Hu, Ty Burrell and Philip Zhao.

Production

Principal photography will start on June 24-October 1, 2021.

Soundtrack

1. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" - Prince (teaser trailer music #1 and Lillian's theme)
2. "Always" - Erasure (teaser trailer music #2, opening theme and heard in some TV spots)
3. "Mr. Jones" - Counting Crows (teaser trailer music #3 and heard in some TV spots)
4. "The Sign" - Ace of Base (official trailer music #1 and heard once at a rollerskating rink)
5. "I'm Ready - Tevin Campbell (official trailer music #2 and heard in some TV spots)
6. "Stay (I Miss You)" - Lisa Loeb (final trailer music #1)
7. "Come To My Window" - Melissa Etheridge (final trailer music #2)
8. "Dreams" - The Cranberries (heard once in Gretchen’s room)
9. "Vogue" - Madonna (heard once where Lillian imitates and idolizes Madonna by not only lip syncing to the song, but dressing up as her)
10. "Bump 'n Grind" - R. Kelly (heard once where Ryan unbuttons his pajama shirt as he lets the wind blow through his shirt while imitating R. Kelly)
11. "I'll Remember" - Madonna (the song Lillian plays on her walkman)
12. "Back & Forth" - Aaliyah (heard once where the song plays during the "Back & Forth" music video on MTV)
13. "Don't Turn Around" - Ace of Base (heard once at a pool party)
14. "Heart-Shaped Box" - Nirvana (heard once where Ernest goes skateboarding with his friends at a skateboarding rink)
15. "Black Hole Sun" - Soundgarden (heard once where Ernest and Gretchen kiss at a skateboarding park)
16. "I Swear" - All-4-One (end credits music)

Prince - "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" (Official Video)

Counting Crows - Mr. Jones (Official Video)

Ace of Base - The Sign (Official Music Video)

Tevin Campbell - Im Ready

Lisa Loeb - Stay (I Missed You)

Melissa Etheridge - Come To My Window (Music Video)

The Cranberries - Dreams (Official Video)

Madonna - Vogue (Official Music Video)

R. Kelly - Bump N' Grind

Madonna - I'll Remember (Official Music Video)

Ace of Base - Don't Turn Around (Official Music Video)

Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (Official Music Video)

All-4-One - I Swear

Quotes

Teaser trailer

[Music: “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” by Prince]

[we see Lillian walking down as Ernest sees]

Ernest: You are hot.

[we see a Hart and Savage Productinons logo]

[at a skateboarding park, we see four teenagers skating on their skateboards]

Ernest: I cannot believe I have a crush on Gretchen. She is so Chinese...

[Gretchen plays with a paper fortune teller]

[Text: We had all kinds of friends.]

[Text: The skater boy.]

Omari: You skate?

Ernest: Yeah, I can.

[Text: The grunge girl.]

[Cut to Gretchen plays on the guitar.]

[Text: The Madonna fangirl.]

[Music: “Vogue” by Madonna]

[Cut to: Lillian dressing in a corset bodysuit, putting on a blonde ponytail wig, putting on bright red lipstick, adding a beauty mark on her cheek with a Sharpie pen and doing a Vogue pose]

[Lillian lipsyncing to Vogue]

[Irene arrives]

Irene: Lillian, I...what?

Lillian: What is it?

Irene: Nothing.

[Text: And a wannabe R. Kelly.]

[Cut to: Ryan unbuttoning his pajama shirt as he lets the wind blow through his shirt]

[Music: “Bump n Grind” by R. Kelly]

[Ryan lipsyncs]

[Mateo arrives]

Mateo: Uhh.... I had to go.

Ryan: What? Can’t you see I am lip syncing here?

[Music: “Always” by Erasure]

[Text: They are best friends.]

[Gretchen and Lillian head to Blockbuster.]

[A Blockbuster employee, Prudence is shown chewing gum while reading a Teen Beat June 1994 Magazine]

Prudence: What do you want?

Gretchen: I would like a VHS tape please.

Lillian: Yeah. But I would like a The Addams Family VHS tape. Even though I went to see Beauty and the Beast instead of that movie back when I was 12.

[Prudence blows her bubble as it pops]

[Text: There’s a time where MTV is famous.]

[Irene is dancing to the “Back & Forth” music video on MTV]

[Text: The Lion King is heading to theaters]

[The four teens, Ernest, Ryan, Lillian and Gretchen are watching The Lion King.]

[Text: And JTT was popular, until he quit acting a two decades later.]

Lillian: JTT? Oh yeah, that kid from Home Improvement.

[Music: “Mr. Jones” by Counting Crows]

[Ernest and Gretchen kiss]

[Text: (lists the names with their surnames in alphabetical order)

Michael Campion from Fuller House

Madison Hu from Bizaardvark

Skai Jackson from Bunk’d

Xolo Maridueña from Parenthood

Joshua Rush from Andi Mack

and Trinitee from KC Undercover]

[Lillian and Gretchen are reading magazines; Lillian reads a BOP May 1994 magazine and Gretchen reads a Teen Beat April 1994 magazine]

[Text: This is...]

[We see Ernest’s face, fades to Gretchen’s face, then fades to Lillian’s face, then fades to Ryan’s]

[Text: Summer of ‘94]

[Text: Coming this Summer...]

Easter eggs

• A Hocus Pocus poster can be shown in Lillian's bedroom along with a few Madonna posters and a Poetic Justice poster.
• Lillian wears a Madonna outfit from 1990 during her tour.
• A paper fortune teller can be shown when Gretchen plays with it.
• Not only a Pearl Jam poster and an Aerosmith poster can be shown in Ernest's room, but it also had a If It's Too Loud, You're Too Old poster, a The Sandlot poster and a Dazed and Confused poster.
• Bagel Bites can be shown where Brendie is shown in the kitchen carrying them.
• An Insect Court shirt is worn by Ernest in one scene.
• Gretchen wears the same floral sundress as Beverly Marsh's from the 2017 It movie, in which Gretchen quoted that "this is so 1989".
• Irene is shown wearing a sunflower hat.
• An episode of Beverly Hills 90210 can be shown in Gretchen's living room while watching it with Bao.
• A BOP May 1994 magazine can be read by Lillian.
• A Teen Beat April 1994 magazine can be read by Gretchen.
• At the movie theaters, The Flintstones, The Crow, Pulp Fiction and The Lion King can be shown at the cinema.
• Aaliyah's "Back & Forth" music video can be shown on MTV.

Trivia

• The movie is 2 hours and 5 minutes long.
• This movie takes place approximately June 6, 1994 through June 10, 1994.
• It is distributed by Hart and Savage Productions.