What to Stream: A Swell Ensemble Cast Makes 'Camp' a Must-See for the Drama-Club Set
Joanna Chilcoat and Daniel Letterle in Camp
Camp (2003) Netflix, Amazon Instant
The Basics: Follow the lives of the kids and counselors of a prestigious musical-theater camp over the course of one memorable summer.
If You Like: Pitch Perfect, Fame, Meatballs
It’s an oft-repeated maxim of storytelling to write what you know. Todd Graff took that advice to heart when he started the script for what became his directorial debut, Camp. Inspired by his own summers spent at the upstate New York performing-arts haven, Stagedoor Manor (whose alums also include Mandy Moore, Zach Braff, and Lea Michele), Graff channeled those experiences directly into his low-budget, but highly charming movie musical. Beyond being a sweet love letter to his alma mater, the movie also awarded then-newcomer Anna Kendrick her first opportunity to demonstrate her impressive vocal range onscreen — something she’s since done in Pitch Perfect and the upcoming Into the Woods.
Kendrick’s geeky Fritzi is just one of the big personalities attending the fictional Camp Ovation; there’s also diva-in-training Jill (Alan Allen), self-esteem challenged Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat), hottie Vlad (Daniel Letterle), and gay teen Michael (Robin de Jesus). A true ensemble piece, Camp doesn’t put the spotlight on one character or storyline, granting everyone their moment to shine. Vlad, for example, shows off his soul with an acoustic version of the Rolling Stones track, “Wild Horses,” while Fritzi seizes control of “Ladies Who Lunch” from Stephen Sondheim’s Company when Jill literally loses her lunch onstage after downing a Woolite-laced Snapple.
Related: What to Stream: James Gandolfini as a Depressed Hitman in the Neo-Noir ‘Killing Them Softly’
The whole film builds up to the camp’s climactic benefit concert, attended by none other than Sondheim himself. (We wonder if that’s when the musical-theater maestro approved Kendrick’s eventual casting as Cinderella in Into the Woods?) Catnip for musical theater lovers and former Drama Club dorks, Camp is the cinematic equivalent of campfire sing-a-long.
Watch the trailer below:
Photo: Everett
