Camp Rock

Featuring appearances by all three of the Jonas brothers, Camp Rock stars Demi Lovato as Mitchie Torres – an aspiring musician who’d love nothing more than to spend the summer at the eponymous destination. Her wish comes true after her mother (Maria Canals-Barrera’s Connie) lands a gig at the camp as the head chef, with trouble inevitably ensuing as Mitchie starts lying about her familial history in an effort to fit in with the cool kids. Camp Rock unfolds in a manner that’s virtually guaranteed to thrill tweens and bore adults, as screenwriters Karin Gist, Regina Hicks, Julie Brown, and Paul Brown offer up a storyline that’s as hopelessly hackneyed as one might’ve expected. Their stubborn refusal to even momentarily deviate from the formulaic template certainly plays an instrumental role in the film’s undeniably tedious atmosphere, and one ultimately can’t shake the feeling that the whole thing exists to give Disney a shot at another High School Musical-type sensation (and indeed, a sequel is already in the works). The most depressing aspect of Camp Rock, however, is undoubtedly the presence of Dean Cundey behind the camera, as the famed cinematographer – he’s worked on such classics as, among others, the Back to the Future trilogy, Jurassic Park, and The Thing – deserves so much better than this.

*1/2 out of ****