Some of you may remember the movie Camp from 2003. That was the original independent film about a theater camp which featured a young Anna Kendrick, had great music, and characters you cared about.
Then we have Waiting for Guffman, one of the original mocumentaries, about an overly enthusiastic community theater group. That film is a classic filled with laugh out loud moments, great writing, and an incredible cast of comedic actors.
Theater Camp doesn't compare to either of these unfortunately. At this point, the whole mocumentary thing is stale. The film also appears to make fun of its characters more than celebrate them for their quirkiness. There are too many characters to really care about anyone and a curious lack of music for a film about theater. I did enjoy the final number but it seemed to come out of nowhere.
I thought the addition of Ben Platt would add some gravitas to the film. It doesn't. His character is an ass and Ben seems to have forgotten that he is acting in a comedy.
I laughed a few times but not nearly as much as the trailer would have you think. I was looking forward to seeing Amy Sedaris, but her character meets an unfortunate fate and she disappears from the film early on.
This barely gets a 5 from me. Save some money and just go watch or rewatch one of the films mentioned above.
Then we have Waiting for Guffman, one of the original mocumentaries, about an overly enthusiastic community theater group. That film is a classic filled with laugh out loud moments, great writing, and an incredible cast of comedic actors.
Theater Camp doesn't compare to either of these unfortunately. At this point, the whole mocumentary thing is stale. The film also appears to make fun of its characters more than celebrate them for their quirkiness. There are too many characters to really care about anyone and a curious lack of music for a film about theater. I did enjoy the final number but it seemed to come out of nowhere.
I thought the addition of Ben Platt would add some gravitas to the film. It doesn't. His character is an ass and Ben seems to have forgotten that he is acting in a comedy.
I laughed a few times but not nearly as much as the trailer would have you think. I was looking forward to seeing Amy Sedaris, but her character meets an unfortunate fate and she disappears from the film early on.
This barely gets a 5 from me. Save some money and just go watch or rewatch one of the films mentioned above.