Getting cast as the lead in aSteven Spielbergfilm is a pretty great way to kickstart a career, andGabriel Labellewas offered the chance to prove himself when he took on the lead role of Sammy Fabelman inThe Fabelmans. There’s always the slight risk that taking on a part so iconic as a first role would make it hard to find subsequent work, but LaBelle was able to rebound fairly quickly when he was cast as the legendarySaturday Night LiveproducerLorne MichaelsinJason Reitman’s comedic biopicSaturday Night. While it is fairly safe to say that he has a strong future ahead of himbased on the positive reviews forSaturday Night,LaBelle also co-starred in the criminally underrated coming-of-age comedySnack Shack, which was released in select theaters over the summer.
The 2024 summer box office had its fair share of misses, as expected blockbusters likeFuriosa: A Mad Max SagaandThe Fall Guysignificantly underperformed when compared to expectations. Although there were a few smaller titles that broke out in a major way, such asLonglegsandKneecap,Snack Shackwas sadly not one of them. While this may be an indication of the lack of R-rated comedies in theaters,Snack Shackisa wonderfully charming coming-of-age storythat coasts on LaBelle’s scene-stealing performance.
What Is ‘Snack Shack’ About?
Set during the summer of 1991,Snack Shackcenters on two teenage boyswho arrange a wide variety of small-time businesses, including selling their own alcoholic beverages and betting on local dog races. After accidentally overbidding at a town council meeting in order to show up some local bullies, A.J. Carter (Conor Sherry) and Moose Miller (LaBelle) find themselves the owners of a retail shop that is stationed next to their town’s local pool. A.J.’s parents Judge (David Constaible) and Jean (Gillian Vigman) urge them to give up their mission,but the two best friends have never found a situation that they haven’t been able to turn around in their favor.As A.J. is dealing with his romantic feelings for the pool’s lifeguard, Brooke (Mika Abdalla), Moose begins wheeling and dealing to ensure that their business is treated seriously.
This Dark Film Sets Itself Apart From Other A24 Coming-of-Age Movies
You won’t find a traditional movie ending here.
A.J. certainly has the more empathetic emotional arc of the film, as a reunion with his friend Shane Workman (Nick Robinson), who has begun serving in the Gulf War, forces him to think about what his priorities really are anymore. However,LaBelle is given the more entertaining role, as Moose isthe type of eccentric characterthat could have been incredibly grating had the performance not been so spot on.While LaBelle had shown a great deal of restraint and sensitivity with his performance inThe Fabelmans,Snack Shackgave him the opportunity to chew the scenery.Moose is a character who claims to be an expert businessman and is always willing to talk his way out of trouble when he is faced with local health inspectors, police officers, rowdy pool-goers, or A.J.’s parents. The fact that LaBelle characterizes Moose as an experienced professional, despite the fact that he still isn’t old enough to drink the beverages that he sells,makes the film even more hilarious.
Gabriel LaBelle Shows Positivity in ‘Snack Shack'
Snack Shackis unique among teen films because it shows characters that are upbeat and positive, as they don’t spend the majority of the story moping about what they do not have. Although it is very easy for coming-of-age stories to highlight thefeelings of anxiety that teenagers faceduring the most difficult stretch of their lives, Moose is the rare character who always seems to look on the bright side. Although their business faces innumerable setbacks when it comes to acquiring merchandise and making a profit, Moose sees any initial conflict as an opportunity to improve in the future.His charming nature makes the few moments of purely dumb luck even more exhilarating.A critical scene in which Moose discovers that he and A.J. can charge more for hot dogs that are inscribed with ketchup-written-profanities providesSnack Shackwith one of its biggest laughs, and it’s mostly due to LaBelle.
Although there is a fair amount of raunchy humor,Snack Shackdoes offer LaBelle the opportunityto get a bit more seriousin the moments where Moose and A.J. really come into conflict with one another. LaBelle does a great job at showing how Moose’s overconfidence ends up making him somewhat ignorant of his best friend’s feelings; while it becomes clear that A.J. is in love with Brooke, Moose continues trying to flirt with her without any acknowledgment of his friend’s repressed feelings of attraction.Snack Shackexemplifies how teenagers feel like whatever immediate situation that they are dealing with will be the most important moment of their lives,even if hindsight proves it all to be rather trivial. A critical scene at the end in which Moose and A.J. are forced to reflect on the death of Shane, who was killed in an accident, givesboth actors the chance to show a more sensitive side of masculinity that is not always seen in these types of summer crowd-pleasers.
There Should Be More Modern Comedies Like ‘Snack Shack'
The fact thatSnack Shackis an anomaly is somewhat dispiriting, as coming-of-age comedies that featured realistic situations used to be routinely released every year beforesuperhero films began to dominate the marketplace. The premise ofSnack Shackis not particularly an original one,but it’s the solid and enjoyable performances that make the film such a standout.LaBelle certainly had a lot of opportunities ahead of him in the wake of the acclaim thatThe Fabelmansearned him,so it’s nice to see that he has taken the time to give a boost to a genre that needs to be celebrated more often.
Snack Shack
Nebraska City, 1991, two best friends get the chance to run the swimming pool snack shack, that later comes to be the perfect scenario for transgression, fun, personal discovery and romance.
Snack Shackis streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the United States.
Watch on Prime Video
