Camp estivo

Very cute but also incredibly lacking. I generally love this genre of heartwarming film but Summer Camp was missing an anchor. The story was a bit uneven in pacing; some scenes seemed out of order, we could have flashed back to the younger campers a little more and I think it would have added to the emotional depth. The writing wasn't quite there and the acting also seemed flat for a large portion of the film. None of the emotion felt earned, it felt as though the audience was being told "this is an important moment" rather than feeling the important moments. There wasn't enough character development to really feel invested in the characters' journeys.

For a movie with such a talented, capable cast, with several Oscar/Emmy winners, this is an embarrassment. I don't remember even smiling during the entire film, especially as I sat fuming about how much I'd spent to waste my time. The price of admission was all that kept me from walking out, unlike several others sitting in front of me who had more sense. It was like someone said "Who wants to make a few bucks? It won't require much effort." It's not even worth wasting your time if someone picks it up for streaming. This could easily have been a hilarious, poignant movie but falls absolutely flat. Not even sure why I gave it 2 stars.

Is it just me or does Diane Keaton not know how to play ANY other character types? My gosh, she is so one-dimensional. I cannot remember the last time I actually saw her act. She wears the same clothes, same glasses, same haircut, same sthick (Oh! Silly me!)... Yet Hollywood acts as if she's SO fabulous. Her movies are nothing but self-congratulatory fluff. Clearly Hollywood is desperate for new story lines. It's like watching re-runs over and over again. Mack and Rita? Puh-lease! The same neurotic character over and over and over! Stop already! Summer Camp? Really? Alfrie Woodard and Cathy Bates? Awesome.

I wanted to love this movie. With a cast like Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard you would expect this film to be damn near perfect or at least funny. But I am not going to blame the cast for this epic failure. It comes down to the writing. What is going on with writing scripts for actors of this generation of late, take for example the latest Book Club, which was another failure. Writers need to get their act together and start delivering decent scripts that do justice for these amazing actors. This really is not good enough. Like I said in the title, the best bits were the bloopers during the end credits. Such a disappointment.

I am another who wanted to like this movie based on the actors. I love the friendship genre. I'm always down for a heartwarming comedy that isn't focused on romantic relationships as much. But this movie wasn't funny at all, except for the delightful Betsy Sodaro. I didn't laugh. I didn't cry. I didn't feel anything. I found Diane Keaton's character exceedingly grating with her constant ditsy lines and frequent and unnecessary shrieks at everything. I wanted her to be quiet and act like an actual educated scientist. Her acting/the character was such a put off for me that it ruined the entire movie. I would like to see Keaton in a more serious role to see if she can do anything else because this is such a schtick for her. Kathy Bates and Alfre W. Were okay. I think the writing was kinda just subpar here. The writers can't possibly be proud of this. I don't need to give spoilers because you can figure out what's going to happen immediately. Old friends who don't see each other enough gather. There's a conflict. They reconcile. Oops, did I give it away? Skip this one, guys.