Bernadette

It is the perfect summer... for heartache. But for young Archie, also for hope. In love with the most beautiful lifeguard in the whole entire world, Archie is about to have his life changed when he’s hired to work at the Park District under local legend Dixon. A bit wimpy and kind of goofy, Archie needs help if he’s going to win the heart of Bernadette, the French foreign-exchange student saving lives in a Linda Barrett red bikini. Set in 1994 and with nods to the classic high school comedies of yesterday, Bernadette is the sweet coming-of-age story about a boy in love with a girl who would never give him the time of day. But, under the tutelage of lothario Dixon, Archie may just have a chance after all. With his bandmates in tow, Archie spends the summer doing what we all wish we could do again: having fun, barely working, and trying to block the French adjunct professor at the local community college from getting the girl of our dreams. Tender and sweet - like a first love - Bernadette is the perfect film for summer memories. And hope. (Cleveland International Film Festival)