Theater Camp (2023)

It is true you can’t judge a film just by its title, but when a movie has two things I have always held special places in my heart for (in this case, theater and summer camp), well, my heart was pitter pattering with more anticipation than I have had in some time.

By the end of Theater Camp, my heart was satisfied with an extra helping of warmth.

The film is told in mockumentary style, as a summer theater camp in upstate New York called AdirondACTS begins without their beloved camp leader, Joan (Amy Sedaris), who has falled into a coma following a stroke (upon looking into a stage light). The head job falls to her rather clueless son Troy (Jimmy Tatro), a “crypto bro” blogger with virtually no knowledge of the theater world today. With financial troubles brewing, other camp instructors Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon), Amos (Ben Platt), Glenn (Noah Galvin),and others join in to keep the camp afloat while show casing the new musical in Joan’s honor, called “Joan, Still”.

The film is the directorial debut for both Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, both of who wrote the script with Galvin and Platt. It is clear these are old souls of broadway (notice the way they get the campers attention), and they (along with Troy) are the main protagonists of the film. Yet that does not take away from the kids, all of whom are nothing short of untapped rich talent (and are indeed too many to name here.) The only one I was familiar with was Alan Kim (who was recently seen in Minari) as an agent in training.

Oh, how funny this film is! It is also authentic: the life and death stress of auditions, the chaos of seeing the cast list, the bending of truth on your resume (guilty as charged). The film has humor that is unexpected but, once heard, you realize how much sense it makes (during one of the auditions, the following question is asked: “It says you are allergic to polyester. Why?”)

Parents, the PG-13 rating is for swearing (one F bomb) and drug references. It is a rather light PG-13. No nudity or anything of that kind. 

My only true criticism of the film is that it delves just a little too much into certain cliches, mainly that all guys in theater are homosexual (granted, one of the kid is heterosexual, whose character has some of the funniest moments of the film.) 

Only toward the end of the film does the movie mentions the true issues of summer camp. In the soundtrack (which is on Spotify), there are lyrics that hit every soft spot of my heart.

“Camp isn’t home…but is it kind of….I think it kind of is.”

As someone who went to speech (shout out Miss H!), band (shout out Mr. R!), and a YMCA camp, not to mention has camp counseled many times in the past (including, as of this writing, a week ago, as well as next week), seldom truer words have been spoken, or sung.

Theater Camp is a movie I am going to fight tooth and nail to make room for on my favorite movies of the year.

Overall: