A troubled boy is sent to a summer camp that caters to abused and neglected kids who have ended up in foster care. One would expect a narrative full of dramatic events with such a premise. Unfortunately, Jacob Roebuck’s 2013 film Camp mislays some of the potential dramatic impact of its story due to its simplistic plot structure, a few clichés and the apparent intent of keeping the movie in a PG13 classification.

The simple story has its advantages – mainly an increased appeal to a broader audience base, much like the 2012 Walt Disney film The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Evidence for that can be found in the abundance of positive feedback on the DVD sale page at Amazon. Writer/Director Roebuck manages to get the film’s message across with a much smaller budget than a similar Disney production would have – and that’s an achievement on its own.

There are two main leads in Camp: Miles Elliot in the role of troubled ten-year-old Eli and Michael Mattera as Ken, an egocentric financial advisor who volunteers to be a counselor at  the camp so that he could impress a potential client. With these two actors leading the way, the cast manages to pull off an excellent ensemble acting performance. Fans of the Coming-of-Age genre will appreciate the opportunity to observe the personality transformation and development, in both of these characters, during the time they spend together in the camp.

The movie’s first scenes have a bit of a rushed and amateurish feel to them, but the overall production values seem to improve as the story develops. The atmosphere of the camp (Hume Lake Christian camp) where the action takes place is, for the most part, quite distinct from a similar camp portrayed in Jacob Medjuck’s 2008 film Summerhood. Both films, however, are essentially based on real stories, though Summerhood is more of a comedy while Camp has a more serious storyline. Both have very definite Coming-of-Age qualities and both manage to portray the special appeal and magic of the camp environment. That being said, I would choose the camp in Summerhood over the one in this film mainly because I’m not a big  fan of holding hands, praying or singing songs. But at least that environment helps Camp’s viewers get insight into why Eli thinks the camp is a lame place – at least initially.

Despite its shortcomings, in the end, Camp is a good film that doesn’t bore and offers some drama and emotion, even if those are somewhat limited. While I would hesitate to call it “heart-warming,” it is inspiring. And, after the final credits roll,  one does feel the desire to do something positive for a kid in need. That ought to be enough to recommend that you seek it out and watch it.

Camp Official Trailer