From Humid hot American summer To heavyweights And Camp to nowhere, summer camp in cinema has always been a place to go crazy. But for AdirondACTS theater campers who are away from home for months, this is the time to do some good in the theater and hone your skills as the next stage stars. theater campdirector Molly Gordon And Nick Lieberman and based on the 2020 short of the same name, this is a loving parody of theater kids that knows these types of characters inside and out and enjoys it, which is understandable.

Every summer AdirondACTS hosts Joan (Amy Sedaris), but when she slips into a coma before camp can begin, her DJ and influencer son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) takes her place - much to the chagrin of campers and camp directors alike. The camp hosts several shows each year (this year’s offerings include Crucible, catsAnd Damn Yankees), and every year Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca Diane (Gordon) put on their own show. This year they decided to honor the memory of the camp director with Joan, Stilla show that is still in development as it hasn’t been written yet.

Among the staff we also meet Glenn (excellent Noah Galvin), working behind the scenes, but clearly having the talent of someone who belongs on stage, choreographer Clive (Nathan Lee Graham) and Janet (cheerful Ayo Edebiri), who did a poor job at the job and had never worked in theater or with children before. Together the camp tries to put on these shows while CarolinePatti Harrison) from a nearby rich camp, attempts to buy the camp from others.

theater camp
Image via Sundance

theater camp adopts mockumentary style, akin to Waiting for Guffman., although little has been done to the concept other than tweaking the beginning and end of the film. Like Humid hot American summer, theater camp can also feel like a series of sketches connected by loose storytelling. However, with a screenplay by Platt, Galvin, Gordon and Lieberman, there’s a deep knowledge and appreciation for such performers - heck, they’ve been like that before - that makes the movie feel like it’s coming from a place of love, even when it’s poking fun at the ridiculous.

Enough theater camp seems improvised, and this can sometimes create the feeling that certain points don’t fit into the larger narrative. Also, most of these characters, especially the kids and some of the high school teachers, can seem pretty unambiguous. But theater camp works because, because of its flaws, the jokes that succeed outweigh the ones that don’t, and theater camp definitely has a high jokes per minute ratio, jumps from concept to concept and puts humor above all else.

Both Platt and Gordon are amazingly self-deprecating here, and it’s especially fun to watch Platt play out what appears to be his own seriousness - definitely after Dear Evan Hansen. But the main players are solid in every way, from Galvin’s Glenn, who transitions from quiet work scene to overt star throughout the film, to Edebiri, who doesn’t get nearly as much time as she deserves when she struggles to figure out what the hell is she doing in this camp for people who know more about theater than she does.

theater camp not without its flaws, but the hilarious cast, like their characters, is ready for anything, and the jokes fly fast and mostly land. theater camp won’t catch up gaffman as a great mockumentary on stage soon, but Gordon and Lieberman promise in this skit that comes from the heart.

Rating: B

theater camp now in cinemas.