With: Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison, Nathan Lee Graham, Ayo Edebiri, Owen Thiele, Caroline Aaron, Amy Sedaris, Alan Kim, Kyndra Sanchez, Alexander Bello, Luke Islam, Bailee Bonick, Donovan Colan, Vivienne Sachs, Quinn Titcomb, Jack Sobolewski, Madisen Lora
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Written by: Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, Ben Platt
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Directed by: Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language and suggestive/drug references
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Running Time: 93
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Date: 07/14/2023
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Trouble Plays
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Written by Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Ben Platt and directed by Gordon and Lieberman, Theater Camp doesn't exactly follow the rules of a "mockumentary." Its camera operators tend to wander off, following someone for a dramatic moment, when a real documentary crew would stay put. (Very few "mockumentaries" get this right.) But what Theater Camp has going for it, in spades, is big laughs, genuine heart, and what feels like an insider's knowledge of, yes, theater camp.
Camp founder Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) is in the middle of fundraising and getting this year's camp in shape when she falls into a coma. Her dunderheaded son, Troy (Jimmy Tatro, from American Vandal, perfect for this sort of thing), a crypto-vlogger, takes over. Life-long friends Rebecca-Diane (Gordon) and Amos (Platt) commit to writing a new musical about Joan, while productions of Cats and Damn Yankees are mounted elsewhere. Glenn (Noah Galvin), actually a talented dancer and singer, works as an all-around handyman, perhaps simply hoping to be noticed. New hire Janet (Ayo Edebiri, who co-stars on the excellent series The Bear along with Gordon), who lied on her resume, doesn't know a thing about teaching theater.
There's also a rivalry between this run-down camp and the multi-million dollar camp across the lake (kids who attend get free iPads), while Troy considers selling the camp to save it. The kids are misfits, of course, but they are genuinely talented and awesome. I especially liked the girl who must decide whether to abandon camp to take a movie role, and the boy who struggles with being heterosexual (his fellow campers are horrified to catch him playing football). Even Troy really begins to understand why the camp is needed. This silly, lovable movie will satisfy fans of summer camp movies like Meatballs and Wet Hot American Summer, but theater kids especially will adore it.
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