For every blockbuster, there is a smaller independent film filling screens. Those smaller films start at festivals like The Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. Ben Platt and Molly Gordon’s mockumentary Theater Camp sold to Searchlight Pictures for $8 million dollars. Theater Camp tells a funny and heartfelt story of an eccentric staff of the rundown theater camp AdirondACTS in upstate New York. When the beloved founder Joan (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma, her misfit, bro-y son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) tries to run the camp.
When Troy arrives, he does not receive a very warm welcome. He simply does not fit into this musical world. As he attempts to adapt and hire new staff (Ayo Edebiri), the current members try to have a great summer. This involves the counselor’s and best friends, Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon), attempting to write the yearly “end-of-summer” musical. As the camp is in financial disarray, Troy turns to the rival Camp Lakeside, represented by Caroline Krauss (Patti Harrison).
Everyone Has Their Own Agenda
Not all of the camp knows about its deep financial troubles. Everyone at the camp is treating the summer like every other. The staff keeps up with their regular activities, especially Amos and Rebecca-Diane. Troy continuously tries to fit into and understand the camp's eccentric ways. The only one who treats him with any kindness is Glenn (Noah Galvin), the camp’s “tech guy.” In actuality, Glenn attempts to solve any problem the camp may encounter. He reminds Troy to try and meet the campers on “their level,” which is easier said than done.
While Troy is trying to save the camp, Rebecca-Diane and Amos are dealing with their own problems. Writing the summer’s last musical number is the hardest it’s ever been for the pair. They split the tasks of writing the musical, with Rebecca-Diane saying she’ll write the final number.
Meanwhile, the rest of the camp staff (Owen Thiele, Nathan Lee Graham, and Caroline Aaron) continue to run the camp as normal. Things appear to be going off “flawlessly” (every camper has their own bits of melodrama) up to a point. Rebecca-Diane and Amos finally cast the musical, even though it does not have an ending number. This struggle for the characters eventually comes to a head.
Troy has run out of options to try and fit in with the campers and staff. Their eclectic methods simply do not mix with his "internet personality" ways. That is until the camp mixer with Lakeside, where Troy is finally able to make an impression on the campers. On the other hand, Amos tells Troy he will never truly fit in. This makes Troy meet again with Caroline Krauss and mistakenly “make a deal” with her to sell the camp. Meanwhile, Rebecca-Diane has still not written her final number.
The Campers Have a Shot to Save Themselves
When rehearsal’s for the final musical begin, a big reveal occurs. Rebecca-Diane has not written the final number. Both she and Amos get into an argument, where she reveals she has accepted a job on a cruise line. This is happening concurrently with the Lakeside staff coming down to look at demolishing the camp.
All this conflict splits our protagonists, seemingly confirming hope is lost. Troy tries to fix his mistake and realizes he only has one chance to do so. He has to invite his supposed “influencer” friends to the final show, hoping they have money to save the camp.
This is a last-ditch effort that makes the most of the film's mockumentary style. The night of the musical arrives, and everyone has something riding on the occasion. The kids are nervous about the performance, while the staff looks at this night as one of survival.
Caroline has arrived to see if Troy can pull this off, while Rebecca-Diane is MIA once the lights begin to dim. Troy’s introduction involves a live stream of the play to Joan’s hospital room, and the play begins. It is equal parts a raunchy and hilariously performed recap of Joan’s entire life. Things are going flawlessly with Mackenzie (Bailee Bonick) nailing the role of young Joan. That is until she “transforms” into Glenn as the adult Joan.
Glenn rocks the stage and delivers a show-stopping performance. The cast takes their final bow, and the fates of everyone at Camp AdirondACTS are revealed. These reveals include the person on the live stream not being Joan, but the patient who was right beside her in the hospital.
Then, in several blurbs on screen, the fate of the counselors is revealed. Troy’s “influencer friends” are actually broke and being investigated by the SEC. It is then revealed that Tim, Troy’s camp Airbnb guest, made a sizable donation because the play spoke to him. Rebecca-Diane’s cruise job was a success until she set fire to the ship during a séance. Amos continued teaching, Glenn became a stage star, and Troy stayed working at the camp to raise money.
Theater Camp is a loving homage to the great mockumentary filmmaker Christopher Guest. The characters are overly passionate about their “craft” but remain endearing throughout. It is their unbridled passion that also shows a deep insecurity that they all deal with. As they say in the film, camp AdirondACTS is one for the outsiders. The film celebrates these characters, quirks and all, to deliver a moving finished result. It is the sort of story that does not get told much anymore, making the finished product all the more satisfying.