Camp (2003)

After a series of Broadway flops, songwriter Bert Hanley (Dixon) goes to work at a musical camp for young performers. Inspired by the kids, he finds an opportunity to regain success by staging an altogether new production.

Director:

Todd Graff

Writer:

Todd Graff

Stars:

Don Dixon, Daniel Letterle, Joanna Chilcoat

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Letterle	...	Vlad
Joanna Chilcoat	...	Ellen
Robin de Jesus	...	Michael (as Robin De Jesus)
Steven Cutts	...	Shaun
Vince Rimoldi	...	Spitzer
Kahiry Bess	...	Petie
Tiffany Taylor	...	Jenna
Sasha Allen	...	Dee
Alana Allen	...	Jill
Anna Kendrick	...	Fritzi
Don Dixon	...	Bert
Robert Orosco	...	Emil
Stephen DiMenna	...	Glen
Omar Edwards	...	Alston
Camilla Millican Samuelson	...	Hillary

Storyline

Misfits in their lives back home, a group of young people live it up at musical-theater camp. While the sports counselor is completely ignored, the kids' spend all their time in rehearsal for a grueling schedule that involves a new show every two weeks. Several personal stories come to the fore. Is talented golden-boy Vlad honest in his feelings about Ellen? Can cross-dressing Michael have a relationship with his parents? Will one-hit-wonder musical playwrite and now camp counselor Bert Hanley remain mired in drink and cynicism? Fireworks are in store when Fritzi, who slavishly serves glamour girl Jill, is finally told to get a life, and the parents of Jenna, whose jaw has been wired shut in a compromise to avoid being sent to "fat camp", learn a valuable lesson at the summer's big end-of-season benefit.

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Plot Keywords:

teen movie | camp counselor | cynicism | musical theater | drink | 

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Taglines:

You can't fit in when you already stand out.

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements regarding teen sexual issues, and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a December 2016 New York Times essay that Anna Kendrick wrote about the experience of making Camp, she said that "people have either never heard of it, or they want to tell me that it changed their life, no matter how inappropriate the circumstances."

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Goofs

While singing "The Ladies Who Lunch", Jill vomits several times onto the stage (we hear the splat when it hits the floor). After Fritzi replaces her (yanking her offstage from the wings), we see the stage and it's clean.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[scene opens on Dee, Shaun and Company singing "How Shall I See You Through My Tears"]
[as singing continues, scene shifts to Vlad in his bedroom]
Vlad: To all the critics out there, I know they're gonna review this, and I know they're gonna try to knock me - is it OK if I say this to the camera, Amber? - Okay. I only am who I am 'cause I was born that way. I have a gift, and I'm trying not to be selfish about it, but to use it. Okay? If you're gonna knock me for that, that's your problem....
[...]

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Crazy Credits

A post-credit scene includes an interview with one of the former male campers dressed as Barbara Streisand.

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Connections

References Jenny Jones (1991)

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Soundtracks

Right On Be Free
Written by Chuck Griffin
Published by Really Together Music (BMI)
Performed by The Voices of East Harlem (as Voices of East Harlem)
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

A perfectly flawed film, about perfectly flawed people

I had heard the soundtrack to Camp before I actually go to see the film, and yet I still didn't really know what to expect. Camp was a simple film, tackling complex subjects in a perfectly flawed manner. Nothing that I can say here will do this film justice. It is, quite simply, the best film I've seen this year.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

29 August 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Camp

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$54,294, 27 July 2003

Gross USA:

$1,629,862

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,707,738

Company Credits

Production Co:

IFC Productions, Jersey Films, John Wells Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1