Courtney Howard // Film Critic
THEATER CAMP
Not Yet Rated, 1 hour and 34 minutes
Directed by: Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman
Starring: Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Ayo Edebiri, Amy Sedaris, Caroline Aaron, Nathan Lee Graham, Owen Thiele, Patti Harrison, Kyndra Sanchez, Alan Kim
It’s okay to be skeptical of THEATER CAMP. Directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman expect their audience will be – at least at first. But then, quickly after its cold open where catastrophe strikes a small East Coast theater camp before their summer session begins, any preconceived notions will fade. This “vérité doc” (a hoity-toity term for mockumentary), which expands on their 2020 short film, lovingly lampoons and embraces insufferably endearing theater types and their very specific struggles. Outlandish, uproarious and delightful, it’s the spiritual successor to WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER.
AdirondACTS founder Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) has gone into a coma, struck down by strobing effects in a junior high production of BYE BYE BIRDIE, and her partner Rita Cohen (Caroline Aaron) is in desperate need of a replacement. She brings in Joan’s dimwitted, narcissistic vlogger son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) to run the youth theater camp in his mother’s absence. As the buses of campers descend and the colorful cadre of counselors arrives, Troy realizes that the place is bleeding cash, buried under bills and past due notices. To cut costs, he fires some of the long-standing staff and hires a wildly inexperienced replacement, Janet (Ayo Edebiri). The comedic shenanigans snowball from there.
Every year, former-students-turned-teachers/ best friends Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Gordon) write, compose and direct an original musical for the campers to perform. This year’s is going to be their most ambitious production yet: JOAN, STILL, a musical tribute to their comatose camp founder. While costume designer Gigi Charbonier (Owen Thiele), head of dance Clive Dewitt (Nathan Lee Graham) and technical director Glenn (Noah Galvin) scramble to get their pint-sized performers in shape, Troy has to fend off bank rep Caroline (Patti Harrison), who represents their rich, rival camp and is looking for a ruthless takeover as AdirondACTS is circling foreclosure.
Screenwriters Gordon, Lieberman, Platt and Noah Galvin set the stage for plenty of hijinks and hilarity to put their characters through. They depict theater-dwelling personalities with great craft and care, from the over-rehearsed young actress (Kyndra Sanchez) to the harried set engineer who’s always busy fixing broken equipment. Capturing their mannerisms and eccentricities, it goofs on them in a respectfully funny manner. Their counselors’ dour pep talks, boisterous campfire tales and silly bedtime wind-downs are a hoot. The filmmakers also get a few sight gags in (like the absurdly funny titles of previous productions).
Perhaps the best sequence that shows off the film’s whip-smart energy is when Troy, seeking extra cash flow, rents out their dining hall to a Rotary Club, telling the child waiters it’s immersive theater, which they then take to the extreme. Though some of the conflicts tend to be predictable and slight, they give the film its much needed motivation, complementing its character drive. James McAlister and Mark Sonnenblick’s percussive score, which seemingly applauds itself, innovatively suits the milieu. The original micro-musical in the third act also cleverly serves as a showcase for talented songwriters Galvin, Gordon, Lieberman, Platt and Sonnenblick.
The entire ensemble fills their roles with vigor and verve. Gordon and Platt share a sweet chemistry. Tatro makes playing a social-media-driven doofus look like an art form, spitting out the silly lines with sincerity. Alan Kim, who plays a camp-goer who’s always hustling a client to an imaginary caller, is charming and winning, spoofing smarmy theater agents. Yet the cutaway reactions of the unnamed campers that pepper the picture really drive home the nostalgic recreation.
Grade: B+
THEATER CAMP played Sundance Film Festival. It’s sold for distribution to Searchlight Pictures.
