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MoM #4: Camp

Title: Camp

Year Released/Rating: 2003 PG-13

Starring: Don Dixon, Daniel Letterle, Joanna Chilcoat, Anna Kendrick

Directed By: Todd Graff

Written By: Todd Graff

Genre: Comedy, Musical, Drama

Star Rating:  2/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Trivia:

  • Todd Graff was the 11-year-old Robert Downey Jr.'s camp counselor when he was at the summer camp that inspired the film. 
  • When Fritzi reintroduces herself to Jill at the start of the movie and Jill fails to remember her, Fritzi reminds Jill that the previous summer, they had been in the play "'night, Mother" together. The joke is that "'night, Mother" only has two actors in it, and is an extremely intense, wrenching, emotional experience (it is about an adult daughter preparing her elderly mother for the fact that the daughter is going to commit suicide), so there is no way that Jill could have forgotten having already met Fritzi without Jill being incredibly self-absorbed.

Summary: After a series of Broadway flops, songwriter Bert Hanley (Dixon) 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.

Review: 

Bit of a disappointment.  I was hoping for some fun performing camp drama.  A bit lighthearted, some awesome musical numbers, campy acting.  Well, I got campy acting, but that's it really.  The rest is just was too melodramatic.  I felt like I was watching a daytime soap opera.  It was all cheese and no heart.  I can't believe I watched the entire thing.  Thankfully it was on Netflix, so it was free...

Best Bits: 

  • Vlad: Have you ever experimented with heterosexuality?   Michael: What? You mean sleep with a straight guy? What for?
  • Bert: [addressing Fritzi] I've been watching you and you are a scary little girl. There's nothin' you can't do if you put your mind to it.