CAMP

[FeverDog420]

http://thezreview.co.uk/posters/posterimages/camp.jpg

The plot: After a series of Broadway flops, songwriter Bert Hanley goes to work at a musical camp for young performers. Inspired by the kids, he finds an opportunity to regain success by staging an altogether new production.


Let me be the Schmoe to introduce y'alls to this musical-comedy Sundance hit. Music is by Stephen Trask, who also composed the kickass tunes in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Can I be any more jazzed? Could this be this year's Wet Hot American Summer? Can The Onion give me those free passes I begged them for?

Camp opens July 25 in limited release.

[MadsenOMC]

I see the preview for this every time I go to Landmark Theatres. It looks absolutely terrible.

[FeverDog420]

Oh, don't say that!!! The trailer for Wet Hot American Summer makes it look lousy, too. Don't tell me you base you opinion of a movie from its trailer. How many good trailers advertise movies that suck?

I've been waiting all year for Camp to open - it's my kind of summer movie. Please let it be good, please let it be good...

[MadsenOMC]

I said it looks terrible, not it is terrible. The trailer makes me not want to see it. It LOOKS painfully corny, sappy and cliched.

[Mike]

I've known about this movie for quite awhile. I remember hearing about it a year ago or so. I was never that excited about it, but I didn't think it sounded bad either.

I haven't seen a trailer for it, or a TV spot or anything, so I can't really say how it "looks." But for now, I think I'll probably end up renting it on video.

[dh1989]

This film looks fairly awful. The trailer is absolutely ugly. It's unoriginal, bland, disgusting, and annoying. The poster can be described with the sam adj's. I won't see this one, unless it on at 12:00 AM one night, and I can't sleep.

[MadsenOMC]

dh, we agree on something!

[Mike]

I actually like the poster. It's nice and colorful.

[Mike]

So far the reviews are really good. There's 8 fresh and 2 rotten reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.


FRESH


"Fans of musical theater will be pleasantly coddled thanks to the wonderful production numbers scattered within its campy cellulose walls."
-- Emily Blunt, BLUNT REVIEW

"May be rickety, formulaic, overacted and tonally wobbly, but its spark of enthusiasm is so infectious that you have to love it for its faults."
-- Stephen Holden, NEW YORK TIMES

"This is the kind of film you can watch over and over again on several levels, especially as you mine the script for knowing jokes about the theatre (it's packed with them)."
-- Rich Cline, FILM THREAT

"Graff ... at least has his heart in the right place, and those expressive, talented kids are the real deal."
-- Michael Rechtshaffen, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"One of the more enjoyable films at Sundance this year."
-- Annlee Ellingson, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE

"It doesn't always deserve it, but Camp is one of the most likable films I've seen in a long time."
-- Eric D. Snider, ERICDSNIDER.COM

"If you liked 'Fame,' you'll find 'Camp' hugely entertaining."
-- Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE

"While the resolution is predictable and easy, this does not detract from the pleasurable feelings generated by 'Camp.'"
-- Donald J. Levit, REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS



ROTTEN


"Graff takes lessons learned from countless after-school specials and sets the resulting kumbaya queer fantasy to banal show tunes."
-- Ed Gonzalez, SLANT MAGAZINE

"Too much empty angst and gaudy sentiment."
-- David Noh, FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

[Jon Lyrik]

Originally posted by FeverDog420
http://thezreview.co.uk/posters/posterimages/camp.jpg

OW! Too...bright!

Poster hurts eyes!

[AppleHuntr]

Kinda surprised that this one was still in a few theaters, and Id heard some good things about it, so we decided to check it out and it was merely OK.

The kids in the movie all are very talented folk (well, at least musically talented, an acting workshop wouldnt hurt a few of them) and the musical numbers are all fun (mainly Turkey Lurkey Time and The Ladies Who Lunch), and a few genuinely moving (the climax, although I think they should of chosen a more upbeat tune for that), but the characters are all cardboard cut outs and the situations seem so generic I couldnt believe people were still using these cliches. That said, all the drama ("you slept with who?") was entertaining in a "camp"y way (and im certain thats not intentional) but I was hoping for more.

My main beef was with Vlad, the "honest-to-god straight boy!" who sleeps around on the excuse that he only wants to make people happy and the thing is we're supposed to buy into that! Um, when ya screwed half the camp (he nearly does it with another guy to make him happy, which is absurd but the film fights for Vlad to the end) you cant expect much sympathy from anyone. Most of the gay characters, while funny, were stereotypical, if they had been fleshed out more it would of been more satisfying. Michael was the most developed but his character wasnt all that interesting. The girls here are all straight...and catty. None of them seem to get along (hence the term "fag hag" which is used here) which results in some fun but nothing more. Jenna is the strongest character. Her parents had her jaw wired shut so she cant gain weight, it would make a great story but her character is thrown aside until the end for the whole dating game stuff. (one character, an overweight girl, literally disappears, never to be seen or mentioned again in the movie, a very sloppy mistake by writer/director Todd Graff) No character is given a background or motive or situation that resembles anything original. Pity...what could have been.


The more I think about it the more flawed the film is, but it was an enjoyable mess. I love underdog stories and this movie has those in spades. The musical numbers were nice and theres some nice dialogue here, and people with an appreciation of theater should knock my grade up a point or two. Its thoroughly entertaining.

6/10 A nice rental, wait for video.