![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDdlMmRjZjYtZmFlNC00MzI1LTg3MDYtMzEzYjhjMWZiMDdiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDdlMmRjZjYtZmFlNC00MzI1LTg3MDYtMzEzYjhjMWZiMDdiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
If Hollywood aims to bring older audiences back to theaters by making movies about them, I submit Summer Camp as a case study in what works (Eugene Levy!) and what definitely does not — painfully flat attempts at wackiness being the chief offender. Veering between strained slapstick and thoughtful tête-à-têtes, this boomer-focused reunion comedy strands a game cast of accomplished septuagenarians in a mostly laugh-free zone of zip lines and predictable beats.
Director Castille Landon’s screenplay offers some well-crafted dialogue, but it never adds up to anything resembling momentum. Landon, whose previous features include the Katherine Heigl starrer Fear of Rain and a couple of entries in the After series of romance movies, does get the setting right in a story that brings together three lifelong friends at the sleepaway camp where they first met. The friends are played by Diane Keaton (who also serves as a producer), Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard.
Director Castille Landon’s screenplay offers some well-crafted dialogue, but it never adds up to anything resembling momentum. Landon, whose previous features include the Katherine Heigl starrer Fear of Rain and a couple of entries in the After series of romance movies, does get the setting right in a story that brings together three lifelong friends at the sleepaway camp where they first met. The friends are played by Diane Keaton (who also serves as a producer), Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard.
- 5/30/2024
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
![The Main Event (2020)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWVhNDQwNDItNDcwMy00MTVlLWE0YjAtMjQxYzVkODRjN2YyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![The Main Event (2020)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWVhNDQwNDItNDcwMy00MTVlLWE0YjAtMjQxYzVkODRjN2YyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
There’s a bit of magic sprinkled into director Jay Karas’ “The Main Event.” Trouble is, adults in the audience will have to go looking for it. This kid-centric wish-fulfillment fantasy from WWE Studios centers around a bullied runt who enters a professional wrestling contest after finding a super-powered and super-stinky mask. The film represents all the tenets of the corporation’s brand and suitably cloaks them in a celebratory, family-friendly guise. Only the execution of the catchy high concept, along the lines of “Like Mike” and “Rookie of the Year,” is a mixed bag. It’s nowhere near the quality of last year’s word-of-mouth sensation from the same studio, “Fighting With My Family,” but dispenses heartening commentary to its target market about the power of dreaming big and harnessing your own authentic strengths.
Eleven-year-old Leo Thompson (Seth Carr) dreams of becoming a WWE superstar with massive crowds cheering...
Eleven-year-old Leo Thompson (Seth Carr) dreams of becoming a WWE superstar with massive crowds cheering...
- 4/10/2020
- by Courtney Howard
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.