Theater Camp is quite amusing. The mockumentary style is perfect for the subject and this cast. The characters feel authentic and I was drawn into the story. Additionally, all of the young campers gave impressive acting performances. The film started a bit slow for me, but it gradually made me more and more invested in the story, the satisfying ending made everything worthwhile. However, I'm still not entirely impressed by Ben Platt as an actor.

Theater Camp is a mockumentary-style comedy, focusing on a theater camp's financial challenges in upstate New York. Amy Sedaris plays Joan, the camp's founder, who finds herself in a coma. In her absence, her clueless and out-of-touch son, Troy, played by Jimmy Tatro, takes control of the camp. However, Troy struggles to connect with both the staff and the kids. The film is co-directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman.

Impressively, along with directing the film, Molly Gordon is one of the main characters, she plays Rebecca-diane and her performance is captivating. The other main chatacter is Amos, played by Ben Platt. Both characters navigate their own conflicts while preparing for the camp's newly written play, titled "Joan Still.”

The film definitely had me laughing quite a bit, even though some jokes completely missed the mark and came off as a bit cheesy. I wouldn’t call this film a must-see, and I don't think it will resonate with everyone. While I did find the film immersive, I think there are many pacing issues. The cast, for the most part, performed well, but I have my doubts about Ben Platt's suitability for this role.

Setting wise, they did a great job with creating a realistic and believable environment, it really felt like a real summer camp with appropriate camper casting, costume design, and set design. I think mockumentary films always work really well for theese outdoorsy old school type of films, so I think that direction was a great choice. In some ways the film reminds me of the film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (this is a much watch movie by the way), even though the subjects and tone are compltetely different. Despite being fictional, Theater Camp similarly shows the safe haven of the summer camp and the overall passion and love that the kids have for the camp.

When I look back at the acting, Jimmy Tatro impresses me; he's truly skilled at portraying a major D-Bag. His timing and his joke delivery are spot-on. Molly Gordon's performance was also pretty great and it was very convincing. She lifts Ben Platt's performance very well, and together, they excelled at being extremely cringey and comical. In any scene where Ben was without Molly, his performance felt average and out of place.

The conclusion of this film is remarkably well-executed—funny and a bit magical. It was a very satisfying finale that heightened my appreciation for the movie, ultimately salvaging it.

The film seemed hurried. The intended month-long experience for the kids raced by rapidly, though maybe that was intentional - that’s really what time feels like as a kid at camp. Additionally, the cast seemed a bit large, consuming time that could have been better spent to further develop the main characters like Caroline, one of the main campers played by Patti Harrison, should have had more screen time and character development.

Although Ben Platt comes from a theater background, I believe this film could have benefited from a different male lead. I want to emphasize that, when paired with Molly Gordon, Platt was genuinely funny. However, there are numerous scenes where he's on his own, and he comes across as inauthentic and uninspiring. I found every other character to outshine him by leaps and bounds.

If you happened to grow up a theater kid or you are a fan of Jimmy Tatro, I would recommend checking out this film. Otherwise, it might be worth skipping! If you enjoyed this review, follow me on Letterboxd and we can connect.