Happy Campers

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2007 Filmcritic.com

It may be a bit of an acquired taste, but Happy Campers (from Heathers writer Daniel Waters), but the film definitely deserved a better fate than being dumped on home video. Nonetheless it's worth a spin if you happen to come across it: It's the usual hijinks at Camp Bleeding Dove, with horny counselors running amok when camp leader (Peter Stormare) is incapacitated and a hurricane strikes the grounds. Dominique Swain steals the show as a Jan Brady-like innocent who wants to entertain her young charges and keep them pristine, but also pines for Wichita (Brad Renfro) all the same. The film gets a little muddy as the movie gets weirder, suffering from the same problems that made Wet Hot American Summer a curious oddity instead of a cult classic. Characters make abrupt personality shifts, and the in-joke just goes a bit too far. Funny? Yes. Another Heathers? Not quite.

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Rating

3.0 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Daniel Waters
  • Producer: Denise Di Novi
  • Screenwriter: Daniel Waters
  • Stars: Brad Renfro, Dominique Swain, Keram Malicki-Sánchez, Emily Bergl, Jordan Bridges, Jaime King, Justin Long, Peter Stormare
  • MPAA Rating: R