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Movies / On DVD / Camp
Camp

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Camp (2003)

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Reviews Counted:99

Fresh:61

Rotten:38

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: Campy comedy that squeaks by on its charms.

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Todd Graff's crowd-pleasing directorial debut pays tribute to summer camps, musical theatre, and Stephen Sondheim. The heartwarming comedy follows a group of youngsters who gather together for... Todd Graff's crowd-pleasing directorial debut pays tribute to summer camps, musical theatre, and Stephen Sondheim. The heartwarming comedy follows a group of youngsters who gather together for another summer at Camp Ovation, a refuge in upstate New York that nurtures aspiring performers. This year, the arrival of Vlad (Daniel Letterle) gets everyone's juices flowing. There's the pretty, but shy, Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat); the oversensitive Michael (Robin De Jesus); the stuck up Jill (Alana Allen); the tormented, overweight Jenna (Tiffany Taylor); the scheming Fritzi (Anna Kendrick); and the beautiful Dee (Sasha Allen). In awe of the camp's guest instructor, Bert Hanley (Don Dixon), Vlad is crushed to discover that he has become a bitter, cynical alcoholic. Amidst the raging hormones and daily melodramas, the kids must nonetheless concentrate on the task at hand, which includes staging the summer's final production. Determined not to succumb to Bert's negative influence, Vlad convinces everyone to stage a performance that will inspire everyone. Using a cast of incredibly talented unknowns, Graff makes certain that each budding superstar has their moment to shine. Shifting between comedy and drama in the span of a single scene, Graff also packs CAMP with enough in-jokes and musical numbers to make for a highly entertaining experience. Part of the New Directors/New Films 2003 series presented by The Department of Film and Media at the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. [More]

Starring: Daniel Letterle, Joanna Chilcoat, Robin De Jesus, Steven Cutts

Starring: Daniel Letterle, Joanna Chilcoat, Robin De Jesus, Steven Cutts, Don Dixon, Tiffany Taylor

Director: Todd Graff

Director: Todd Graff
Screenwriter: Todd Graff
Producer: Christine Vachon, Katie Roumel, Pamela Koffler, Danny DeVito, Stacey Sher, Jonathan Weisgal
Studio: IFC Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Camp

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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Graff's writing and direction deftly balance the wacky humour and one-line zingers with the more powerful poignant moments.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/16/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

There's something irresistible about this teenybopping hoofer.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/19/03
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
09/06/03
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/01/03
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Eventually the jokes peter out.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/08/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

When Bert drunkenly berates the batch for harboring hopeless dreams and wasting their time on performing, it’s supposed to underscore how angry and damaged Bert is; instead, you’re pondering whether the man has a point.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/24/03
Mark Athitakis
Mark Athitakis
Filmcritic.com

Kitschy, sweet, and kind of nutty, this is a delightful exercise in, well, camp.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
08/05/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

Lying somewhere between Fame and Meatballs, Camp unfortunately possesses neither the energy of the former nor the hilarity of the latter.

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
02/23/04
Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Like that summer holiday -- that vacation -- that you hope will never end.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
08/08/03
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

It's fun, but Camp falls short of persuading viewers to go directly into musical comedy.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
07/25/03
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News

Fans of musical theater will be pleasantly coddled thanks to the wonderful production numbers scattered within its campy cellulose walls.

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
07/16/03
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

Camp may not be great cinema, but it's passionate and original enough to be special.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
07/24/03
Kelly Borgeson
Kelly Borgeson
Premiere Magazine

A film best avoided by teenage misfits of any stripe.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
08/21/03
Kevin John Bozelka
Kevin John Bozelka
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It's so campy that by the end of it, one has exactly no sympathy for anyone, and this viewer personally made the leap from suspicion to downright hatred for all musical theatre.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/08/03
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

A pleasant and light-hearted film with some spirited musical numbers and a sassy group of talented teenagers strutting their stuff.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
07/25/03
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

A comedy, and for all its cliches and clumsiness, close to a great one.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
08/08/03
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

A sort of bargain-basement Fame that squeaks by on good cheer and some of the brassiest voices ever to issue from adolescent throats.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
08/22/03
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Though unpolished and a bit formulaic, Camp reminds us that adolescence isn't just a period of time, it's a journey of self-discovery that teens must undertake on their own.

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
07/25/03
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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