Molly Gordon is best known for her role as Claire on The Bear, the beleaguered romantic interest of Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy, a role that doesn’t get a lot of laughs in the “comedy” series (though my colleague Terrell Smith has made the case The Bear should be a drama). Though The Bear isn’t the best example, Gordon is a rising comedic talent in Hollywood. She’ll be showcasing that in her new movie, Oh, Hi, releasing July 25, but the best example of her comedic chops is in her 2023 movie Theater Camp.
Theater Camp was an indie darling when it was released. The movie is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, it received three Independent Spirit Award nominations, was listed as a Top 10 Independent Film of the year and its ensemble won a special jury prize from the Sundance Film Festival. Unfortunately, where the movie struggled was at the box office, where it made $4.4 million worldwide. In fairness, the movie never surpassed playing in 600 movie theaters nationwide.
I did head out to the movie theater to watch Theater Camp, and I can tell you it was an absolute riot and one of the funniest comedies I’ve seen in the last five years. Thankfully, it’s easy enough to discover Theater Camp for yourself right now, as the movie is streaming in the US on Hulu and on Disney Plus in the UK, as well as being available via digital on-demand if you’re not a subscriber to those services.
Filmed in a mockumentary style, Theater Camp follows the eccentric staff of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York as they try to keep the camp afloat. The staff consists of Gordon as Rebecca-Diane, Ben Platt as Amos, Noah Galvin as Glenn, Ayo Edebiri as Janet and Nathan Lee Graham as Clive. Jimmy Tatro also stars as Troy, the son of the camp’s owner, forced to step in as his mom (Amy Sedaris) is in a coma, but has no knowledge of the theater world.
In addition to starring, Gordon, Platt and Galvin co-wrote the Theater Camp script along with Nick Lieberman, based on a short film that they all made together. Gordon and Lieberman also co-directed the movie.
I did some high school theater, but the level of intensity that these characters show for their summer camp production is at a ridiculous level. That heightened sense of importance is just part of the comedy of the movie.
The ensemble award Theater Camp received was worthy, as everyone in the cast has their moments. Edebiri is great as a new instructor who lied on her resume to get the job but tries to stumble through it. Graham’s veteran and jaded teacher brings some hilariously hard truths to the campers. But the heart, and some of the best laughs, of the movie come from two tandems — Gordon and Platt and Galvin and Tatro.
Gordon’s Rebecca-Diane and Platt’s Amos are best friends who treat theater camp like they’re putting on a Broadway play. Their over-inflated sense of self-importance is so wonderfully juxtaposed to having young teens putting on a show in a small theater in the middle of nowhere, but damn it if you’re not laughing at all the pseudo-drama they’re creating for themselves.
However, my favorite pair is Galvin and Tatro. Tatro’s fish-out-of-water Troy quickly comes to rely on Galvin’s quiet stage/technical manager Glenn to help guide him through all things theater, while Troy helps build Glenn’s confidence, which pays off in the final act in a fun and surprising way.
Summer camp movies have been the setting for a lot of great comedies — Meatballs, Heavyweights, Wet Hot American Summer — and Theater Camp is right up there with those movies with how much it made me laugh. It’s time we started recognizing Theater Camp more regularly among those great comedies.
Watch the Theater Camp trailer for a quick peek at what I'm talking about:
See for yourself by watching Theater Camp on Hulu, Disney Plus or on-demand. You can also watch Gordon’s latest movie, Oh, Hi, in movie theaters starting July 25.
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