Like many teenagers staring down their final days of high school, Abby (Sam Morelos), the protagonist of Jillian Bell’s more-heartfelt-than-bawdy new comedy Summer of 69, would like to have sex before she graduates.

When she learns that her crush Max (Matt Cornett), a tall, dark-haired soccer player, is newly single, the reserved online gamer resolves to sleep with him. Abby has had a crush on Max since she met him at their tony Catholic school in Syracuse, New York, and now, more than a decade later, she thinks she might have a chance. There’s only one problem: Abby lacks the sexual experience to make a move. 

Following in the footsteps of Seth and Evan in Superbad and PJ and Josie in Bottoms, Abby executes an ill-conceived plan to get laid. In a move reminiscent of Percy’s parents in No Hard Feelings, the teen hires a dancer (Chloe Fineman) from a local strip club to help her overcome her knowledge gap. Abby’s parents might be almost as wealthy as those of the Montauk teen whose sexual education is put into the hands of a broke Uber driver (Jennifer Lawrence) in the earlier film, but they are definitely not as chill. Abby waits until the last week of school, when her parents leave town to move her grandmother into assisted living, to, in her words, become a “sex machine.”

The journey is long (seven days), winding and a little bit awkward. Bell (Kinda Pregnant, Brittany Runs a Marathon), who co-wrote the film with Jules Byrne and Liz Nico, has constructed a familiar film that checks the boxes of classic teen comedies. Summer of 69 presents a charming protagonist, her reluctant co-conspirator and a gallery of characters who support their antics and propel the drama.

While Fineman might attract viewers to this modest streamer flick, Morelos, whose previous credits include That 90s Show, emerges as the real discovery. The actress gives an endearing performance akin to Kuhoo Varma’s in the Hulu charmer Plan B; bringing a lot of heart to the role, she prevents Abby from being just a nerdy caricature or an obvious punchline. 

When we first meet Abby, she doesn’t have many friends or much of a social life. She’s a shy loner prone to maladaptive daydreaming (some of which Summer of 69 shows) and spends most nights playing video games in a livestream on Glitch (a fictionalized version of Twitch) for a dedicated audience. Through this unconventional side gig, the teen has been able to earn thousands of dollars, with which she had planned to buy a car. But the news about Max changes her plans and leads her to wander into a strip club one day after school, where she watches Santa Monica (Fineman) enchant every man in the room. 

Although we’re meant to receive the dancer’s presence as commanding, Fineman’s performance only makes that kind of possible. The actress pulls off the comedic demands of her role with commendable ease, but wavers when it comes to anything that requires more subtle provocation or a bit of edge. It’s challenging not to see Santa Monica as derivative of Lawrence’s Maddie in No Hard Feelings.

Similarly to Maddie, Santa Monica agrees to coach Abby for money. She asks the teen for $20,000, which she plans to use to buy the strip club where she works back from a slimy debtor (Charlie Day) and become a full-time owner. The current boss (Paula Pell) has made a series of poor financial decisions that threaten to leave Santa Monica and the other girls (played by Nicole Byer and Liza Koshy) without jobs.

Also happening alongside this drama is the specter of Santa Monica’s high school reunion. Turns out the dancer went to the same high school as Abby and the idea of returning to this private school in Syracuse haunts her: She worries that she hasn’t done enough with her life and has nothing to show for it. 

While battling these relatable internal demons, Santa Monica instructs Abby on how to be sexy. Her lessons are comical and their related excursions endearing: Santa Monica shares tips about different positions and offers pointers on incorporating toys. She teaches Abby how confidence in the bedroom really begins outside of it.

Summer of 69 never gets into truly brash or raunchy territory (it’s more Booksmart than Bottoms), but it showcases the kind of sweet, unlikely friendships that make teen comedies memorable. Although Santa Monica might have set out to school Abby on pleasuring herself and others, the dancer also learns a thing or two. Fineman and Morelos’ natural chemistry carries most of the film, and adds believable stakes to their characters’ relationships. When trouble eventually arises and secrets are revealed, the heartbreak, to their credit, feels real. 

Cinematographer Maria Rusche (Bottoms) gives Summer of 69 a similar visual style to Emma Seligman’s sophomore outing. They revel in Technicolor’s vivid palette — especially the depth of golds, reds and purples — which complements Matt Bowen’s at once lively and vaguely angsty score. Production designer Adri Siriwatt and costume designer Lindsay Monahan build out Abby’s world, which is equally defined by the crimson uniforms and tall ceilings of her ritzy high school and the moody interior and sparkling outfits featured in Santa Monica’s club.