Theater Camp

Sometimes there are films that may be close together that alters the viewing experience of the latter one. In this case, Theater Camp - which previously had a limited-ish release and is now on Hulu, had a difficult time stacking up against the utterly hilarious, Bottoms. 

Their comparison is a little unfair as one is much more R-rated and unhinged than the other, but they're both comedies and in that regard I found that Theater Camp didn't have the most successful hit rate. It tells the semi-disjointed tale of a summer at theater camp being run by an enTROYpreneur and the creative relationship between two of the main camp instructors, Amos and Rebecca-Diane. The plot is something that would 100% be better suited for a miniseries, and probably would have let the overall product be better, but as a 90 minute film it's very condensed, and touching at the right times. 

Specifically, the thing that Theater Camp does the best (and lends further credence to my belief a miniseries would have been better) is the "characterization!". Very quickly it establishes multiple memorable characters with a cast that includes Jimmy Tatro, Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Ayo Edebiri (who is just having a HELL of a year), and a multitude of other distinct counselors and children. It's these performances and silly characters that breathe life into the entire thing and help it stand out. Additionally, the focus on theater, musicals, and plays will certainly have varying mileage, and I found it one of the best qualities. It even ends on a catchy original musical number that hits well-earned (if not rushed) emotional beats. 

For me, Theater Camp's only fault is the comedy. It's set up as a fake documentary - which earns several laughs - but otherwise I found it varied wildly between jokes that didn't land for my wife or I, and moments of comedic gold. For every hilarious "tear doping" scene, there are several jokes, some of which are recurring, that didn't land. Again, some of that could be the theater-aspect...perhaps I just wasn't getting some of that humor. However, when something like Bottoms, that had me laughing the entire time, is in my rearview, the lack of consistency was noticeable. 

Given this is now streaming on Hulu and is short and sweet, it's an easy, harmless recommendation to make. Even if it wasn't as funny as I wanted it to be (and believed a miniseries could have been), it's still sporting a fantastic cast and it has plenty of fun along the way. 

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 7/10