| CAMP |
 2002 –
USADirector: Todd Graff - Reviewed by Eric
Review: Remember the camp in But I'm a Cheerleader that tried to take all these queer kids and train them to be straight? Okay, imagine the exact opposite of that camp, and you have Camp Ovation, the acting summer camp in which this visually and comically alive Sundance hit is set. Camp is at its best when it's living up to its title, and the only mistakes it makes are when it tries to veer off that course. Camp Ovation is an acting camp that is attended by a wide variety of misfit kids, and they put on a new show based on a classic musical every two weeks training every day in acting, singing, and dancing. It may not be constructed specifically to make kids gay, but it might as well be. As it is, all the guys are gay anyway, and the only main female character, Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat), acts as a communal faghag to them. It is run by a washed-up Broadway songwriter who bitterly dreams of a comeback, but does a lot more drinking than writing. This summer, a new guy shows up. His name is Vlad (Daniel Letterle), a "hot straight guy"-type who ends up rooming with teenage drag queen Michael (Robin De Jesus), Ellen's best friend. Typical summer camp-movie happenings ensue, except that this time (for the most part) they're actually funny. VERY funny. The action is punctuated by gloriously energetic and wildly entertaining musical numbers from Dreamgirls, Follies, and other shows. These kids have an astounding amount of raw talent—Graff wisely realizes that these sequences are the major highlights of the film, and makes no effort to pare them down to just a few minutes, or cross-cut them with something happening somewhere else, as are the practices of most non-musicals that feature musical numbers. I didn't even know what shows they were from, but I didn't need to in order to absolutely lose myself in them. Two numbers in particular are not only rousing, but deeply moving as well. Camp's sole, but nearly-fatal, mistake is to center the film around Vlad, the least interesting character in the film. Almost every time Camp begins to build solid comic momentum, one of his scenes comes along and ruins the mood with what is supposed to be either drama, or a satire of drama—either way, it's not interesting enough as a would-be backbone of the film, and it seriously messes with its pacing. Love triangles rank among the least creative or engaging plot devices known to man, so to stick a heterosexual one in the middle of the gayest film of the year seems to me like an obvious mistake. Graff stated in the Q&A afterwards that one of his goals for this film was to capture the petty drama of summer camp, including petty heterosexual love triangles, and there's nothing inherently wrong with that—but it would have worked a lot better if not for, once again, the vacuum of personality that is Vlad. What is interesting is the character of Michael, who gives the film real heart to go with its flair. De Jesus's pitch-perfect and touching performance is what makes Camp more than just fluff, and his dramatic scenes are the only ones that have true resonance. This is by no means a flawless film, but ultimately, those flaws are not what I remembered as I walked out the theater positively beaming with joy. When it's bad, it's not pretty, but when it's good, it's great. The energy Camp inspired in the audience from beginning to end was truly remarkable—I feel I can't be alone in saying that I haven't had this much pure fun going to the movies in months. This is an appropriately campy, entertaining, and most importantly loving tribute not only to classic musicals, but to what it means to be a misfit and finally find the strength to love yourself for who you are. |
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Synopsis: Managing to be at once charming and wickedly funny while wearing its large heart openly on its sleeve, this recent Sundance hit mines the time-worn territory of "let's put on a show"-style Broadway musicals with its story about a group of teenage outcasts who attend a camp for talented misfits in upstate New York over the course of one delirious summer.
