Movie Breakdown: Theater Camp

Pre-Screening Stance:

Theater Camp has a great cast – Molly Gordon, Ayo Edebiri, Jimmy Tatro, etc. – and it looks like it’s going to be pretty funny. If it doesn’t work, I’ll just blame Ben Platt, who is also in the movie and someone I can never forgive for Dear Evan Hansen.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Theater Camp is just as absurd and funny as I was hoping it would be. The story follows a group of teachers and kids at a … theater camp in New York. This spot is usually run by the steady and enthusiastic Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris), but after she’s hospitalized, the task of keeping everything afloat gets passed to her dopey son Troy (Jimmy Tatro). Naturally, he proves to be a mess, which shakes up everyone at the camp and puts the place in danger of being foreclosed on by the bank.

Aside from the steady presence of adults saying insane things to kids, what I really liked about Theater Camp is that it also sports a very earnest feel. Yes, it’s a generally ridiculous movie, but there’s a real love for theater and its devoted participants that shines through, which in turn makes for a finale that’s surprisingly cheer-worthy. Kudos to co-directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman for getting that balance right. On one other Molly Gordon-related note, she is really funny as Rebecca-Diane, a music theory teacher who also likes to hold seances.

I don’t know if you need to run off right now to see Theater Camp, but when you get the chance, it is a film worth checking out. It will open in theaters this Friday, July 21.

One Last Thought:

I’m entirely perplexed as to why this movie is being released in the middle of Barbie and Oppenheimer mania. Why not put it out in August or September? It’s definitely going to get lost in the chaotic mix of pink merch and atomic bombs.