Camp
Camp êê
Rated PG 13 for mature thematic elements regarding teen sexual issues, and some language
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Reviewed By Vittorio J. Carli
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Director:Todd Graff
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Robin DeJesus
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Joanna Chilcoat
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Daniel Letterle
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The Bottom line:
"Camp" is a drama which includes comedy, musical numbers, and romantic intrigue, as a group of teen misfits try to find their place in a summer camp for performance arts. The title is also a pun on campy theater culture, which overlaps with gay culture.
The Story Line:
The apparently straight and handsome Vlad moves into a summer theater camp. He is a modestly talented folk singer with not much of a theater background. The well adjusted, "normal" lad stands out like a sore thumb amongst all the freaks and geeks with severe emotional problems.
Vlad is immediately befriended by two people with very different personalities and agendas: Michael (played convincingly by Robin DeJesus) is a gay Latino teen who was beaten up for attending his prom in drag. He is estranged from his parents, and Vlad helps him to patch up his relationship with them.
Ellen has just as many problems. She is an insecure "fag hag" who strikes out with straight boys. She gets so desperate that she even asks her brother to be her prom date. Vlad teaches her to relax and tries to help her gain confidence.
Both of them begin to fall for Vlad, but he has something that he is concealing from them. When "the big secret" is revealed, it's underwhelming and anticlimatic.
There is also a great "All About Eve" inspired subplot about a young woman named Fritzie (Anna Kendrick in a delightfully chilly performance) who idolizes Jill, a vain and cruel teen actress. Fritzie waits on her hand and foot then turns against her mentor. Their disturbing relationship has some sado-masochistic overtones. They are the two most intriguing characters, but the film gives them very little screen time, though Anna Kendrick's big musical number is the musical high point of the film.
Tell me more:
The press release promised a film that's far more edgy and subversive than the actual film. The basic concept is promising but the results are only fair to middling.
The film includes some production numbers by Steven Sondheim, Victoria Williams and "Fame' composer Michael Gore. Sondheim does a cameo in the film. The low point of the film is a tepid, folk version performance of The Rolling Stones classic, "Wild Horses."
The film has no big stars and the teen performers in the cast are unknowns.
The characterizations rarely rise above stereotypes and the dialog is often cliché. "Camp" has very restrained sex scenes and life lessons. It sometimes plays like a bisexual Children's Afternoon Special.
The film is aimed at (and recommended for) musical theater aficionados. Non-theater types may have trouble identifying with the characters or recognizing the theater references and in-jokes.
