‘Theater Camp’ hilariously breaks a leg

Film: Theater Camp (2023) Director: Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman Cast: Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Caroline Aaron, Ayo Edebiri, Nathan Lee Graham, Owen Thiele, Patti Harrison, Alan Kim, Amy Sedaris Runtime: 94 minutes Genres: Comedy, Mockumentary

Note: This movie was screened at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in their “U.S. Dramatic Competition”, where it won the Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble. This was the World Premiere of the movie.

Theater Camp is a comedic mockumentary about the eccentric staff of a scrappy theater camp in upstate New York as they band together after their beloved founder falls into a coma right before the summer session is set to begin, leaving her “crypto-bro” son in charge. With financial ruin looming, Troy (Tatro) must join forces with Amos (Platt), Rebecca-diane (Gordon), and their band of eccentric teachers to come up with a solution before the curtain rises on opening night. The film was directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, and written by the duo along with Ben Platt and Noah Galvin. Gordon, Platt, and Galvin all play prominent roles in the film. The first idea for this movie began in 2017, but it goes further back than that, with all four writers pulling from their experiences doing theater together since they were children. This film is the feature-length adaptation of their 2020 short film of the same name. Will Ferrell serves as a producer under his Gloria Sanchez Productions banner.

Theater Camp is a hilarious and inventive film, and one of the most original comedies in years. This movie is destined to be a cult classic, with endlessly quotable dialogue and an intricate construction that demands multiple viewings to catch all the fast-paced jokes and references. It’s a film that celebrates musical theater, all while making fun of it, and the humor clearly comes from a place of affection toward the subject matter. Theater Camp is the feature directorial debut from Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman, and it pulls extensively from their experiences in decades of theater camp. The cast is absolutely incredible, with several memorable characters and no weak links. The film was shot in only 19 days, resulting in nearly 70 hours of footage. The editing process was like that of a documentary film because so much of the movie is improvised by the actors. This method has been used to great effect in other mockumentaries, and Theater Camp instantly enters the pantheon of classics along with the film work of Christopher Guest and the television work of the crew of Reno 911!. In many ways, this movie feels like Waiting for Guffman meets Wet Hot American Summer in the best way possible.

Molly Gordon is an accomplished actor, having recently worked on notable projects such as Winning Time, Shiva Baby, Booksmart, and Ramy. Nick Lieberman’s recent work as a director include music videos for artists such as Ben Platt and Remi Wolf, and various commercials including Samsung and Billboard. Gordon and Lieberman share a love of ensemble-driven movies, and they cite Robert Altman and John Cassavetes as primary influences on this film and their process as directors. Like those legendary filmmakers, Gordon and Lieberman like to use a collective of actors they’re able to write specifically for. It just so happens their “theater troupe” of actors includes some of their best friends, so what you have here is a movie made by friends about the power of friendship, and the unique joy that comes from a collaborative creative process like theater. According to Gordon, “theater is a place where you can really be yourself and find your people.” The evidence of this is quite clear, as Gordon and Lieberman found their people and made a movie with them.

It can’t be overstated how hilarious this movie is. The collection of jokes are fast-paced, constant, and assembled with a mischievous affection for the subject matter they’re poking fun at. The humor is both specific enough for people with theater experience to get the references, and generic enough for general audiences to understand the humor of the situations. Many of the comedic moments stem from the self-seriousness that sometimes occurs in the world of theater. As funny as the movie is, it never sacrifices character or plot development. In fact, one of the highlights of the movie is the tension between Platt and Gordon’s characters, as the movie examines what can occur when a friendship is intimate but codependent.

This film is a truly collaborative project, with phenomenal comedic performances from the talented cast. Like all great theatrical productions though, the performances go from good to great because of the way the actors interact with one another with impeccable chemistry. There’s a beauty inherent in theatrical productions, as each individual comes together to create something bigger than themselves, and that energy is on display in this movie. Each of the actors does an outstanding job bringing their characters to life in the film’s brief runtime. If this movie has any downside, it’s we don’t get to spend more time with these characters. They’re all interesting enough to warrant an entire television series dedicated to exploring the intricacies of their relationships and idiosyncrasies.

Theater Camp is an early highlight of 2023, and an inherently rewatchable cult classic in the making. It’s a movie about a lifelong love of artistic pursuits, and the individuals one is lucky enough to collaborate with along the way. This film is a nostalgiadrenched satirical comedy that hits its marks and all the right notes. It’s a wholesome and hilarious film you don’t want to miss. This movie received two standing ovations from the audience at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The second ovation occurred after a special postscreening musical performance of a medley of songs from the film’s finale from the younger performers in the movie. Soon after, Searchlight Pictures acquired distribution rights for $8 million. The film doesn’t have a release date yet, but should be expected around Summer 2023.

Bobby Styles studied Film at UCLA, and worked as an editor and producer on several film, commercial, and music video projects in Los Angeles. He currently teaches the intermediate and advanced Video Production courses in the Multimedia & Technology Academy at Monache High School. His column appears weekly in The Recorder.