Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Get Outta da House Cinema 2023 - Theatre Camp

Tony Award winner Ben Platt and Molly Gordon star in the original comedy THEATER CAMP as Amos and Rebecca-Diane. Could this be the most random film of 2023?

If you are not into theatre or musicals, be warned this is very niche. Like VERY niche!

Lifelong best friends and drama instructors at a rundown camp in upstate New York. When clueless tech-bro Troy (Jimmy Tatro) arrives to run the property (into the ground), Amos, Rebecca-Diane and production manager Glenn (Noah Galvin) band together with the staff and students, staging a masterpiece to keep their beloved summer camp afloat.

Alongside Molly Gordon and Ben Platt, Theatre Camp stars Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison, Nathan Lee Graham, Ayo Edebiri, Owen Thiele, Alan Kim, Alexander Bello, Bailee Bonick, Kyndra Sanchez, Donovan Colan, Vivienne Sachs, Quinn Titcomb, Caroline Aaron and Amy Sedaris as Joan.


Theater Camp was released mid-July in the USA, getting a small release here down under recently. So it was off to Bondi Junction I went. Sydney's Eastern suburbs. Oh dear god. One of the ad's before the film was for a retirement village deep in the Eastern suburbs. I honestly laughed as much in that 30 second ad as I did in this film.

Look that was a bit harsh, but this film is hella niche. Some of the kids do really well, however Ben Platt is just really annoying. Remember him in the Politician? Whatever happened to that half baked Ryan Murphy idea?

Back to the plot..  As summer rolls around again, kids are gathering from all over to attend AdirondACTS, a scrappy theater camp in upstate New York that's a haven for budding performers. After its indomitable founder Joan falls into a coma, her clueless “crypto-bro” son Troy is tasked with keeping the thespian paradise running. With financial ruin looming, Troy must join forces with Amos, Rebecca-Diane, and their band of eccentric teachers and students to come up with a solution before the curtain rises on opening night.

Look maybe adding Will Ferrell as a producer under his Gloria Sanchez Productions banner, was why I didn't love it. I may be the only person who just doesn't find Ferrell that funny.

Either way it was enjoyable, just not excellent. A few too many gaps between LOL moments. 2.5 Theatre love/hating stars.

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