PARK CITY, Utah — “Theater Camp,” which premiered Saturday on the Sundance Film Festival, brings to mind one other comedy that debuted here years ago: “Wet Hot American Summer.”
No person goes on a heroin-fueled rampage through town this time — too bad — but what each sleepaway movies share is that they’re more concerning the counselors than the children.
In co-directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s sweet, wacky and really funny indie mockumentary — admittedly best suited to folks who know who Mr. Mistoffelees is — the query we ask about each of the employees is: What are these adults doing there? Like in “Clue,” everybody’s got an eccentric motivation.
Running time: 94 minutes. Not yet rated.
Troy (Jimmy Tatro), a TikTok finance bro, has been forced to take over the storied performing arts camp, called Ardirond-ACTS, because his mom Joan (Amy Sedaris) fell right into a coma after a strobe light incident at “Bye Bye Birdie.”
Acting teacher Amos (Ben Platt) and music theory head Rebecca-Diane (Gordon) were campers for 11 years themselves, and have been counselors — and suffocating best friends — for a decade. Amos is impossibly hard on the youngsters, while Rebecca-Diane is obsessive about herself. The thirty-somethings long to be skilled actors, but do nothing about it. Amos proudly refers to himself as “a performer who’s a full-time acting teacher.”
Introverted Glenn (Noah Galvin, making a meal out of whispers), meanwhile, is the stressed-out tech director, and sometimes reveals a telling glimpse of theatrical flair.
And Janet (Ayo Edebiri) just needed a job, so she lied that she was trained in stage combat and accents and knows next to nothing about theater.
Adirond-ACTS is a like a scrappier Stagedoor Manor within the Catskills, and so they placed on three shows over a matter of weeks: “Rattling Yankees,” “Cats” (“immersive!”), “The Crucible Jr.” and an original musical called “Joan Still,” honoring the comatose owner’s life story.
Half the film is dedicated to class and rehearsals for “Joan Still” — Nathan Lee Graham and Owen Thiele are hoots because the choreographer and costumer, respectively — and the opposite half concerns the upcoming foreclosure on the camp and the efforts of the ritzier Camp Lakeside to purchase their land and demolish the place. Patti Harrison plays the conniving, flirty hedge fund business manager of Lakeside who tries to woo impressionable Troy.
The plot is irrelevant, though. Unlike the “Will Guffman come?” suspense of Christopher Guest’s mockumentary “Waiting For Guffman,” which inspired “Theater Camp,” this comedy soars squarely on small moments and large jokes.
Gordon is particularly hilarious as a kind of vicious hippie, who demands professionalism and likewise goes into questionably real trances to channel the dead.
Her fury at slightly actress who secretly uses a “tear stick” to fake-cry during a scene has the fiery wrath of Medea.
Platt’s Amos is a little bit of a jerk, but gets laughs. And I’ve heard rumors that the theater industry has a jerk or six.
Troy, at first, comes off as a flat character, but Tatros has a beautiful, real moment where he listens to a song from “June Still” that adds layers to the guy, bruh.
And that ragtag ensemble of campers — all terrific budding comedians in their very own right — showcase their Broadway chops in a satisfying grand finale that basically works since the montage of songs will not be only silly but pretty catchy.
“Theater Camp” is a movie very much made — and will probably be most appreciated — by individuals who understand these bizarre, “Brigadoon”-like summer camps where artsy kids are each open-hearted and openly ruthless. The characters should not stereotypical or cliche, but alarmingly recognizable. I do know far too many Rebecca-Dianes.
Broadway buffs, “Theater Camp” will certainly soon be coming to a streaming service near you.
PARK CITY, Utah — “Theater Camp,” which premiered Saturday on the Sundance Film Festival, brings to mind one other comedy that debuted here years ago: “Wet Hot American Summer.”
No person goes on a heroin-fueled rampage through town this time — too bad — but what each sleepaway movies share is that they’re more concerning the counselors than the children.
In co-directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s sweet, wacky and really funny indie mockumentary — admittedly best suited to folks who know who Mr. Mistoffelees is — the query we ask about each of the employees is: What are these adults doing there? Like in “Clue,” everybody’s got an eccentric motivation.
Running time: 94 minutes. Not yet rated.
Troy (Jimmy Tatro), a TikTok finance bro, has been forced to take over the storied performing arts camp, called Ardirond-ACTS, because his mom Joan (Amy Sedaris) fell right into a coma after a strobe light incident at “Bye Bye Birdie.”
Acting teacher Amos (Ben Platt) and music theory head Rebecca-Diane (Gordon) were campers for 11 years themselves, and have been counselors — and suffocating best friends — for a decade. Amos is impossibly hard on the youngsters, while Rebecca-Diane is obsessive about herself. The thirty-somethings long to be skilled actors, but do nothing about it. Amos proudly refers to himself as “a performer who’s a full-time acting teacher.”
Introverted Glenn (Noah Galvin, making a meal out of whispers), meanwhile, is the stressed-out tech director, and sometimes reveals a telling glimpse of theatrical flair.
And Janet (Ayo Edebiri) just needed a job, so she lied that she was trained in stage combat and accents and knows next to nothing about theater.
Adirond-ACTS is a like a scrappier Stagedoor Manor within the Catskills, and so they placed on three shows over a matter of weeks: “Rattling Yankees,” “Cats” (“immersive!”), “The Crucible Jr.” and an original musical called “Joan Still,” honoring the comatose owner’s life story.
Half the film is dedicated to class and rehearsals for “Joan Still” — Nathan Lee Graham and Owen Thiele are hoots because the choreographer and costumer, respectively — and the opposite half concerns the upcoming foreclosure on the camp and the efforts of the ritzier Camp Lakeside to purchase their land and demolish the place. Patti Harrison plays the conniving, flirty hedge fund business manager of Lakeside who tries to woo impressionable Troy.
The plot is irrelevant, though. Unlike the “Will Guffman come?” suspense of Christopher Guest’s mockumentary “Waiting For Guffman,” which inspired “Theater Camp,” this comedy soars squarely on small moments and large jokes.
Gordon is particularly hilarious as a kind of vicious hippie, who demands professionalism and likewise goes into questionably real trances to channel the dead.
Her fury at slightly actress who secretly uses a “tear stick” to fake-cry during a scene has the fiery wrath of Medea.
Platt’s Amos is a little bit of a jerk, but gets laughs. And I’ve heard rumors that the theater industry has a jerk or six.
Troy, at first, comes off as a flat character, but Tatros has a beautiful, real moment where he listens to a song from “June Still” that adds layers to the guy, bruh.
And that ragtag ensemble of campers — all terrific budding comedians in their very own right — showcase their Broadway chops in a satisfying grand finale that basically works since the montage of songs will not be only silly but pretty catchy.
“Theater Camp” is a movie very much made — and will probably be most appreciated — by individuals who understand these bizarre, “Brigadoon”-like summer camps where artsy kids are each open-hearted and openly ruthless. The characters should not stereotypical or cliche, but alarmingly recognizable. I do know far too many Rebecca-Dianes.
Broadway buffs, “Theater Camp” will certainly soon be coming to a streaming service near you.
