Camp (2003)

Camp is a 2003 American musical comedy drama film written and directed by Todd Graff in his directorial debut about an upstate New York performing arts summer camp. The film is based on Graff's own experiences at a similar camp called Stagedoor Manor, where many scenes of the film were filmed.

Camp was released in the United States on July 25, 2003, by IFC Films. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

The film centers on the experiences of several teenagers at Camp Ovation, a summer theatre camp. Shy Ellen Lucas greets her friend Michael Flores, a gay teenager who was violently beaten by his classmates after showing up to his junior prom in drag. Nerdy Fritzi Wagner attempts to befriend icy Jill Simmons, but ends up toting her luggage instead. Returning camper Jenna Malloran laments that her parents forced her to have her jaw wired shut in order to lose weight. The campers are surprised by the arrival of Vlad Baumann, a handsome new camper who is, as a staff member marvels, "an honest-to-god straight boy." The camp enlists a guest counselor for the summer: composer Bert Hanley, whose play The Children's Crusade was a one-hit wonder many years earlier. Frustrated with his lack of recent success, he is now a grumpy alcoholic.

Vlad and Ellen flirt a bit after rehearsal one day. Soon afterward, Vlad is seduced by Jill, who later makes cruel cracks at Ellen for her weight and her inexperience with boys. Feeling guilty, Vlad comforts Ellen and the two begin to inch toward a relationship.

After Fritzi is caught washing Jill's underwear, Jill expresses her disgust with Fritzi and kicks her out of the cabin. Enraged, Fritzi sabotages Jill's next performance and takes her place mid-song, revealing her previously hidden talent.

Vlad convinces Michael to invite his parents to his next play. When they fail to show, Michael flees the stage mid-performance. Vlad reveals to Michael that he has his own hidden problem: Vlad has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and must take medication to make life bearable.

Hanley gets into a drunken rage and tells the campers that theater will only make them bitter and lonely like himself. Vlad finds a trove of music that Hanley has written over the years but not released. During a rehearsal for the camp's benefit performance, Vlad and the campers sing one of Hanley's songs. Hanley's heart is lifted and his disposition changes.

Shortly before the benefit, Michael sleeps with Dee, Ellen's roommate, out of frustration about his unrequited crush on Vlad. Vlad and Dee end up making out on Dee's bed, and Ellen walks in on them. She runs off, hurt, and refuses to talk to Vlad.

The night of the benefit concert arrives, and the campers are starstruck as famed composer Stephen Sondheim is in attendance. The dressing room atmosphere is tense, and gets even more awkward when Vlad's girlfriend Julie shows up to see him. Fritzi sabotages Jill's makeup, causing her to break out in boils. Jill attacks her, injuring her, and both are unfit to go onstage. To replace her, Bert cuts the wires on Jenna's mouth, allowing her to sing a powerful song directed to her parents in the audience, telling them to accept her as she is.

The benefit is a hit, but Vlad, Michael, and Ellen are still arguing. Vlad admits that he is an "attention junkie" and attempts to please everyone in order to gain their good favor. Vlad explains that he still cares about Ellen and that his girlfriend Julie had just broken up with him. After another apology, Ellen forgives him, and the three go swimming.

Cast

The film is notable as the film debut of future Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick, future three-time Tony nominee Robin de Jesús, future The Voice contestant Sasha Allen, and future Broadway performers DeQuina Moore, Steven Cutts, Tracee Beazer, and Brittany Pollack.

Production

The film was produced by Jersey Films, IFC Films, John Wells Productions, Killer Films, and Laughlin Park Pictures. Most of the film was shot on location at Stagedoor Manor camp in Loch Sheldrake, New York, as well as other brief scenes in Manhattan.

Soundtrack

The movie notably features a song co-written by Michael Gore, who had previously won the Academy Award For Best Original Song and the Academy Award For Best Original Score (both from the 1980 film, Fame).

The album Camp (Music from the Motion Picture) was released on the Decca/UMG label in 2003. It comprises 14 tracks:

A book with the sheet music was also published.

Reception

Box office

In the opening weekend, the film made $54,294. It came in ranking at #45, showing at only 3 theaters in the United States and averaging $18,098. The film's widest release took place in the UK where it showed in 116 theaters. It ran for 12 weeks and closed on October 16, 2003. It has grossed $1,629,862 since 2003. The film also hit several top 100 charts for films in numerous categories. It is number 96 in the genre of gay/lesbian independent films, 78 for yearly PG-13 movies for 2003, and ranked 198 for the year 2003.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 64% approval rating, based on 107 reviews with an average rating of 5.93/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Campy comedy that squeaks by on its charms." On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average of critics' reviews, the film has a score of 55 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Margaret A. McGurk of The Cincinnati Enquirer says "Like the prodigies on screen, Camp powers through its imperfections, with irresistible results."

C.W. Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle said in his review, "There is lots of music and a genuine showstopper when Jenna sings 'Here's Where I Stand' with such emotion that even her hardheaded dad gets the message." In Newsweek, David Ansen wrote, "Camp may not be as slick as Fame, but it's twice as funny and loads more honest."

In February 2025, it topped The Washington Post's list of "The 25 best movie musicals of the 21st century," with Naveen Kumar writing "You don't need formative experience with sleepaway theater camp to appreciate this winning love letter to the joys and mortifications of growing up," and Ty Burr adding "...the characters come alive when they sing and so does the movie — the musical numbers can make you fizzy with rapture."

Award nominations

Camp received nominations for the following awards:

2004, Artios Award for Best Casting for Feature Film, Independent, Bernard Telsey

2004, Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance, Anna Kendrick

2004, Golden Satellite Award for Best Original Score, Stephen Trask, and Best Original Song, Bob Telson and Lee Breuer (For the song “How Shall I See You Through My Tears”)

2003, Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival, Todd Graff

Sequel

Todd Graff promoted an Indiegogo campaign in 2015 to fund a sequel. Rather than treat the original as a previous year at Camp Ovation, the plot would frame Camp as a movie filmed on the campgrounds.

References

External links

Camp at IMDb

Camp at Box Office Mojo

Camp at Rotten Tomatoes

Camp at Metacritic