This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Theater Camp is an under-the-radar comedy following a summer at a theater camp. Led by Jimmy Tatro, Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Ayo Edebiri, and Noah Galvin to name a few, Theater Camp is so much fun shot as a “mockumentary”.
My sense of humor is defined by intense sarcasm, awkwardness, and great timing. Theater Camp hit on all three of those levels. To add to that, I have always found Jimmy Tatro, Molly Gordon, and Ayo Edebiri really funny. Jimmy plays the camp owner who is out of touch with the performing arts, and he is surrounded with people who are extremely passionate about the crafts. They are played to the extremes, but each actor really makes you remember the worst theater kid you ever thought of.
On top of those main cast members, the kids in this movie are insanely talented. As a mockumentary, they are kind of put in the background of each scene. But they get to sing, dance, and act and they are all really good at it. All this really comes together at the end of the movie with the final performance.
It’s a fun story that follows a man just trying to save his mother’s camp but is just out of his element. He has to rely on his staff who he can’t relate with and his campers who he just doesn’t understand. You can assume what the resolution will end up being, but the journey is a hell of a ride. There are enough twists that kept me engaged and I really liked the look of the movie.
Final Thoughts
Theater Camp is a really fun experience of a movie. I really liked filming it as a mockumentary, it made it feel much more natural. It really felt like I was a part of the camp and not so much of an observer. The story is simple but fun. The comedic talents of the cast are on full display and the performance showcases a lot of talented young actors and actresses. Theater Camp is a good watch.
