Directed By Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman

Starring – Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Jimmy Tatro

The Plot – As summer rolls around again, kids are gathering from all over to attend AdirondACTS, a scrappy theater camp in upstate New York that’s a haven for budding performers. After its indomitable founder Joan (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma, her clueless “crypto-bro” son Troy (Tatro) is tasked with keeping the thespian paradise running. With financial ruin looming, Troy must join forces with Amos (Platt), Rebecca-Diane (Gordon), and their band of eccentric teachers to come up with a solution before the curtain rises on opening night.

Rated PG-13 for some strong adult language and suggestive/drug references

(6) THEATER CAMP | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures – YouTube

POSITIVES

For every traditional handicap that should derail the movie’s momentum and ultimately limit its appeal among a wider mainstream audience, those very same factors are surprisingly its strongest traits in carving out an energetically enticing experience worthy of the grandest stage. For starters, the film is creatively rendered by two directors and four screenwriters, which could’ve easily conjured a disjointed realization among many unique and contrasting visions, but instead proves how each of them remained consistently on the same page, outlining not only the exhilarating emphasis of summer camp, free from the perils of responsibility, but also an infectiously authentic portrait of the stage profession, complete with the emphasis of unhealthy obsession that comes with such a passion. From there, the conception of the entirety of this film taking place in and around this musical theater should initially cater towards a small slice of the grander audience pie, but instead reaches confidently across the aisle, with a combination of razor sharp wit and stimulating style that work remarkably well with one another. On the former, the script and coinciding gags feel virtually plucked from the Christopher Guest brand of comedy, complete with bluntly unapologetic deliveries and rapid fire consistency that practically smother one over the other, but with effective landing consistency that often had me gasping for the sheer mayhem of the various situations, and the latter instilling a meaningful mockumentary framing device, which not only enhances the humor by utilizing the accessibility of its camera movements panning across the many reactionary faces, but also imbeds a grainy coloring to the movie’s texture that occasionally makes its setting feel timeless, while only further accentuating an organic shot-on-video captivity. Finally, the fact that this is an ensemble-driven film doesn’t keep us from investing in single solitary characters, but actually quite the opposite, as dynamics lead to some impeccably defined chemistry between co-stars. This is especially the case for Platt and Gordon, who effortlessly wear the extent of a lifetime of memories and experiences between one another, with Platt’s perfectionism often giving way to Gordon’s quirkiness, for a bond that feels romantic, but without them being an on-screen couple. Likewise, the heavy lifting of these child actors bringing with them a knowledge and experience in musical performance is a real treat to experience, especially during the movie’s climax, where everything creatively is supressed for a twenty minute stageshow that wholheartedly immersed me in the spectacle, thanks entirely to their impeccable ranges in vocal and emotional capacities. But if it’s singles work you seek, the heavy-lifting utility work of Jimmy Tatro articulating the outsider’s perspective is one that I constanty felt rewarded and entertained by. While Tatro’s Troy is a bit on the naive side of characterizing, his gut-busting reactions to the eccentric personalities surrounding him often felt reflective of my own interpretations, complete with Jimmy’s familiar hip schtick that I honestly never grow tired of.

NEGATIVES

While “Theater Camp” is consistently entertaining and light on its feet at 89 breezy minutes of run time, its pacing can occasionally undercut the naturalistic development of the movie’s essential conflict, in turn not always utilizing the most out of the urgency that should see characters with their backs against the wall. Despite this aspect introduced early on in the narrative, with a barrage of on-screen text conveying a whole act’s worth of abrupt exposition, it’s never really felt until the beginning of the third act, where it takes center stage in the depth of many corresponding subplots. This is also made tougher with the consistency of the editing, which while vital towards eliciting more than a few prominent reactions in comedic timing, does occasionally cut into the integrity of necessary interaction between characters. This is especially prominent during the film’s second act, where anything away from the performance preparation feels like it’s hemmed for time to keep the focus where a majority of its audience prefers, keeping too much distance in the stakes of the circumstance that should feel palpable by the film’s midway point. Finally, while the climax and corresponding ending does resolve matters in a fitting manner, the resolution itself is every bit convenient as it is rushed in its absolution. In particular, the final five minutes of the film feel like they’re cramming fifteen minutes of development into that allowance, and considering the credits roll materializes as abruptly as nearly any other film that I’ve seen in 2023, it feels like the writers knew where they would end it, but lacked the exclamation point at the right moment to truly make it stand.

OVERALL
“Theater Camp” is a joyous romp of manic energy inside of the bizarre world of stage show productions. With favorable comedic consistency, an energetically passionate ensemble, and a three-ring circus of summertime spectacle, Gordon and Lieberman elicit the warmth and togetherness of stage teams everywhere, and while the film occasionally missteps with intrusive editing and abrupt pacing, it shines the brightest under the lights, earning a standing ovation towards illustrating a world where everyone belongs, both on and off screen.

My Grade: 7/10 or B