A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

83% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 70% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings The big-screen adaptation of Sloan Wilson's popular novel follows wealthy Ken Jorgenson (Richard Egan) as he brings his wife (Constance Ford) and teenage daughter, Molly (Sandra Dee), to the Maine vacation spot where he worked as a middle-class youth. When Ken reunites with his former flame, the now-married Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire), it sparks a passionate tryst. Meanwhile, Sylvia's son, Johnny (Troy Donahue), and Molly begin a romance of their own, unaware of their parents' affair. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

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Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com The movie is so-so, BUT that great theme music! Rated: 3/5 Jun 7, 2007 Full Review A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (2) David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Overlong and overwrought... Rated: 1.5/4 Mar 19, 2007 Full Review A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Reflecting the sexual angsts and domestic anxieties of the 1950s, Delmer Daves' schmaltzy melodrama is known today for catapulting Troy Donahue and Sandra Dee to stardom and for Max Steiner's melodic tune, which became that year's most popular song. Rated: B- Jul 4, 2005 Full Review A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (4) James Sanford Kalamazoo Gazette Soap opera supreme, 1950s-style. "We've got to be good..." Rated: 4/5 Jan 23, 2004 Full Review A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Carol Cling Las Vegas Review-Journal Rated: 3/5 Jan 12, 2004 Full Review A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Rated: 3/5 Jul 26, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (80) audience reviews

Audience Member A decent theme song, but only the cover versions not the sound track one. As for the screenplay, acting, etc. they all sucked. Two words: dated and hokey! Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/13/24 Full Review Veronique R It feels so outdated and awkward at many occassions. I watched it, holding my beath and feeling totally fascinated. I was born only a few years after this movie was made. Glad my mother didnt ask a doctor to check my vagin* after a date with a boy. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/29/24 Full Review Lanfranco C A great soundtrack, but the movie comes from an other time. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/24 Full Review David S For a movie made in 1959 it was very candid on subjects not spoken of at by this generation. Quite entertaining. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/03/23 Full Review David K This is one from the sly wit category. It comes across as a soap opera but the lines are actually funny. Take for instance Sandra Dee looking deeply into Troy Donahue's eyes and saying something like "Have you been bad with any girls since I last saw you?" Let's give Delmer Daves some credit here. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/04/23 Full Review Douglas G You don't need to watch the movie; just play the theme version on YOUTUBE with the scenes of Sandra Dee looking doe eyed at Jonny. Not the greatest actress who ever lived, but the visuals of her eyes and smiles are enough. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Summer Place

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Cast & Crew

Delmer Daves Director Richard Egan Ken Jorgenson Dorothy McGuire Sylvia Hunter Sandra Dee Molly Jorgenson Arthur Kennedy Bart Hunter Troy Donahue Johnny Hunter
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A Summer Place

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Movie Info

Synopsis The big-screen adaptation of Sloan Wilson's popular novel follows wealthy Ken Jorgenson (Richard Egan) as he brings his wife (Constance Ford) and teenage daughter, Molly (Sandra Dee), to the Maine vacation spot where he worked as a middle-class youth. When Ken reunites with his former flame, the now-married Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire), it sparks a passionate tryst. Meanwhile, Sylvia's son, Johnny (Troy Donahue), and Molly begin a romance of their own, unaware of their parents' affair.

Director
Delmer Daves

Producer
Delmer Daves

Screenwriter
Delmer Daves

Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Co
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Genre
Drama

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 22, 1959, Original

Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009

Runtime
2h 10m
Most Popular at Home Now
A Summer Place | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

Are there any 100% Rotten tomato movies? ›

A number of these films also appear on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies lists, but there are many others and several entries with dozens of positive reviews, which are considered surprising to some experts. To date, Leave No Trace holds the site's record, with a rating of 100% and 252 positive reviews.

Does Molly get pregnant in a summer place? ›

A few weeks later, Molly calls Johnny to say she is pregnant from their one-time sexual encounter. He hitchhikes from his college to be with her and they pawn her fur coat, a gift from Ken, for money to travel to Pine Island.

What does 59 Rotten Tomatoes mean? ›

If the positive reviews make up 60% or more, the film is considered "fresh". If the positive reviews are less than 60%, the film is considered "rotten". An average score on a 0 to 10 scale is also calculated.

What does it mean to be 100% on Rotten Tomatoes? ›

Welcome to the 100% Club, where every movie isn't necessarily perfect, but their Tomatometers are. A place where all the critic reviews are Fresh, as far as the eye can see, without a Rotten mark to disrupt all the 1s and their attendant 0s in the percentage scores.

What movie has a 0% Rotten Tomatoes? ›

List
FilmYearNo. of reviews
A Thousand Words201258
Left Behind201471
The Ridiculous 6201537
Cabin Fever201630
42 more rows

What is considered the best movie of all time? ›

Citizen Kane (1941) stood at number 1 for five consecutive polls, with 22 votes in 1962, 32 votes in 1972, 45 votes in 1982, 43 votes in 1992, and 46 votes in 2002. It also topped the first two directors' polls, with 30 votes in 1992 and 42 votes in 2002.

What island was A Summer Place filmed on? ›

Production. The film was shot in Pacific Grove and around the Monterey Peninsula.

How did A Summer Place movie end? ›

How does the movie end? Johnny hitches a ride to Briarwood, and he and Molly decide to get married. Johnny pawns Molly's mink coat and buys an old car so that they can drive to Maine and seek out his father's help.

What happened at the end of A Summer Place? ›

Ken leaves the island for good at the end of the summer, and Sylvia marries Bart as her family wishes. Ken becomes a millionaire through his work as a research chemist, and marries his partner's daughter, Helen, who turns out to be prudish and frigid.

What is the popcorn on Rotten Tomatoes? ›

The Audience Score, denoted by a popcorn bucket, represents the percentage of users who have rated a movie or TV show positively.

Does Disney own Rotten Tomatoes? ›

Rotten Tomatoes, owned by Warner Bros.

What does spilled popcorn mean? ›

To receive a full popcorn bucket, at least 60% of users give a film or show a star rating of 3.5 or higher. A tipped over popcorn bucket indicates that less than 60% of users have given it a 3.5 or higher.

What's the highest rating a movie can get? ›

The NC-17 rating is the highest rating (even higher than the R-rating) that a film can be given, and it means the movie is for adults only (ages 18 and older) and no one age 17 or younger will be admitted.

What does the tomato and popcorn mean on Peaco*ck? ›

And remember rotten tomatoes means good and popcorn means it wasn't good I don't know why they mad it like that tho but great movie!!!

What movies have gotten a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes? ›

10 Nearly Perfect Movies With a 99% Score on Rotten Tomatoes
  • 10 'Finding Nemo' (2003) Directed by Andrew Stanton. ...
  • 9 'Lady Bird' (2017) Directed by Greta Gerwig. ...
  • 8 'Goldfinger' (1964) ...
  • 7 'How to Train Your Dragon' (2010) ...
  • 6 'The Third Man' (1949) ...
  • 5 'All About Eve' (1950) ...
  • 4 'On the Waterfront' (1954) ...
  • 3 'Paddington 2' (2017)
May 13, 2024

Has any show ever gotten 100% Rotten Tomatoes? ›

Other recent series with multiple seasons in the 100% club: The Good Place, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, One Day at a Time, Veep, Fleabag, Jane the Virgin, and Feel Good. Only Murders in the Building season 1 has the most reviews on its perfect 100% score.

What Netflix movie is rated 100 Rotten Tomatoes? ›

1. They Cloned Tyrone (2023) This intriguing sci-fi thriller with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score captivates audiences with its mysterious plot and exceptional performances.

What horror movies have 100 Rotten Tomatoes? ›

  • His House (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%) ...
  • The Lighthouse (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%) ...
  • The Babadook (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%) ...
  • Jaws (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%) ...
  • Bride of Frankenstein (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%) ...
  • King Kong (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%) ...
  • Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%)
May 25, 2023

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