Camp | Rotten Tomatoes

Camp

PG-13

Released Jul 25, 2003

1 hr. 54 min.

Musical

Comedy

LGBTQ+

List

65%

108 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

At Camp Ovation, kids of all ages spend their summer expressing themselves through dance, music and theater. Vlad (Daniel Letterle) is a singer-songwriter and first-time camper caught between talented but insecure Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat) and provocative Jill (Alana Allen). Besides romance, the campers grapple with complicated issues, including sexual identity, self-respect and parental pressure, as they grow closer together and prove their talents to the bitter camp director (Don Dixon).

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Critics Consensus

Campy comedy that squeaks by on its charms.

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Audience Member

I love this movie!!! A fictional story based on a real camp in upstate NY, The plot is simple, but interesting enough to hold interest. The entire cast is stellar, particularly a very young Anna Kendrick (Fritzi) and Robin De Jesus (Michael). Both make their cinematic debuts. The two leads, Daniel Lederle (Vlad), and Johanna Chilcoat (Ellen), have chemistry and are great as leads. The music elements are great, especially for anyone who grew up loving musical theater. There's even a great cameo for true Broadway-fanatics!!! This movie is a must-see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

When I saw this in the theatre, I actually intended to see a different film but what a happy accident that was! As a theatre geek myself, this was right up my alley. It's a great representation of the angst, the awkwardness, the talent, and comradery theatre kids have. Some of the actors were green, but I honestly didn't care. I think they were all perfectly cast and all the light and dark they brought was palpable. I was rooting for them the whole time.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

steve d

It's a mixed bag, but it becomes obvious why Anna Kendrick became a star.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wet Hot American Summer, musical theater camp style.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Not much happened, but it was okay.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Theater kids rejoice. So this is about a musical theater camp and the process behind it all. You get to see kids putting in work at rehearsals, shining during the show, and all the drama that happens backstage as there are teenage hormones firing back and forth like a ping pong match. Now this was a movie that I was familiar with in name only, and the real reason that it was even on my radar was because I got married to a musical theater major. I watch any and everything, so you know that I dove headfirst into this teenage musical extravaganza, even though I very likely would have never watched this otherwise. The most notable thing that jumps out at you immediately is the quality. I'm not even commentating on if this is a bad movie or anything, but the sounds and video quality make it feel like you are watching this on early 90's VHS, even though it is a 2003 release streaming on Hulu. We had to eventually break down and turn on subtitles because characters were inaudible, even with the volume turned up to eleven. While these kids may not be the best of actors for the up close and personal silver screen, they aren't untalented, and they do show the promise of being able to do something big and loud like an off-Broadway musical. Camp's biggest claim to fame that is that this boasts the film debut of Anna Kendrick, and she is a frizzy haired teenager who wants to make it big, appropriately enough. It would be way too easy of a joke to call this movie campy, although that's exactly what it is. It's overdramatic, but at the same time, this is all too common a side effect whenever there is a theatrical show being put together. I did not have a bad time watching this, and I definitely have to say that this movie's heart is in the right place. The only real qualm I have this is that there is just no reason for this movie to be two hours long. Its earnestness can only take it so far, and I would have come out feeling more positively about it if it were cut to be in the 90 - 95 minute range. As it stands, it's a movie that will go largely unappreciated outside of the musical theater community.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Todd Graff

Director

Daniel Letterle

Vlad Baumann

Joanna Chilcoat

Ellen Lucas

Tiffany Taylor

Jenna Malloran

Sasha Allen

Dee

Alana Allen

Jill Simmons

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Amy Taubin

Film Comment Magazine

Camp is all about the cathartic joy of performing. Fearlessly wearing its heart on its sleeve, it's the anti-Fame, and I think it has legs.

Apr 10, 2018

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Camp may not be as slick as Fame, but it's twice as funny and loads more honest.

Mar 13, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Funny movie about theater camp for teens.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 22, 2010

Full Review

Jae-Ha Kim

Jae-Ha Kim

At Camp Ovation, sports is a four-letter word. A gym teacher is as out of place there as a dance instructor at basketball camp. Based on his own experiences attending a summer musical workshop, "Camp" is screenwriter Todd Graff's directorial debut.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 27, 2023

Full Review

Jason Best

Movie Talk

If you'd rather have poison ivy rash than listen to the songs of Stephen Sondheim, you'd probably better give this a miss: the folk at Camp Ovation revere him as a god.

Nov 21, 2020

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Todd Graff, better known as writer, makes a decent (but no more)directing debut with this mildly amusing but unoriginal indie about a bunch of gays and heteros putting on a show.

Rated: C+

Mar 26, 2012

Full Review

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Synopsis

At Camp Ovation, kids of all ages spend their summer expressing themselves through dance, music and theater. Vlad (Daniel Letterle) is a singer-songwriter and first-time camper caught between talented but insecure Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat) and provocative Jill (Alana Allen). Besides romance, the campers grapple with complicated issues, including sexual identity, self-respect and parental pressure, as they grow closer together and prove their talents to the bitter camp director (Don Dixon).

Director: Todd Graff
Executive Producer: John Wells, Richard Klubeck, Jonathan Sehring, Caroline Kaplan, Holly Becker
Screenwriter: Todd Graff
Distributor: IFC Films
Rating: PG-13 (Teen Sexual Issues|Some Language|Mature Thematic Elements)
Genre: Musical, Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 25, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.6M