Theater Camp

Directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, Theater Camp follows campers and counselors alike as they strive to put on an end-of-summer show in the face of several complications. Gordon and Lieberman, armed with a script written alongside Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, deliver an affable, watchable mockumentary that benefits from its pervasively agreeable atmosphere and raft of likeable performances, and it’s clear, ultimately, that the filmmakers’ obvious (and palpable) affection for the movie’s subject matter goes a long way towards smoothing over the thin narrative’s lulls and stumbles. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that Gordon and Lieberman have suffused the proceedings with several laugh-out-loud bits of comedy, including a woefully under-qualified instructor’s efforts at discerning exactly what stage combat means.) And while the whole thing never really adds up to much, Theater Camp‘s earnestness and wealth of good intentions ensure that it remains quite engaging for the duration of its 93 minutes. (It’s clear, ultimately, that viewers with an existing fondness for the theater will likely get a whole lot more out of the picture than most others.)

**1/2 out of ****