Dear Evan Hansen‘s Ben Platt plays a 14-year-old middle schooler who…

Just kidding.

I never went to theater camp, but I was involved in enough theater from elementary through high school that I recognized a lot of the characters and situations in this film.

It’s an affectionate look at the world of youth theatre, best appreciated by those who have also experienced it. Gently humorous, a lot of the laughs were generated by the recall of similiar personalities and experiences in my own life.

After a strobe-light-induced stroke at a Passaic, NJ school performance of Bye, Bye Birdie, the founder of Camp Adiron Acts (Amy Sedaris) is out of commision leaving her clueless Social Media Business Influencer son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) in charge. The evil rich camp next door has had its eyes on the property for some time, and quicker than you can say ‘foreclosure’, the future of the camp is in peril.

Meanwhile, camp leaders and long-time friends Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) are having issues with each other, imperiling the closing night original production which will be attended by all the parents. Leave it to tech director Glenn (Noah Galvin) to save the day… as tech directors usually do (but not quite the way it happens here.)

The kids are cute (and talented) and Tatro is quite endearing as Troy, but on the whole the film is a lightweight attempt at a Christopher Guest-style mockumentary.

Where it really hits is in its moments of reflection on what an arts community means to the frequently disenfranchised and marginalized. It doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but it’s clear.

On a lighter note, the film had me smiling while recollecting things like the theatre cliques (yes, they exist), the oft-pretentious musings of a teacher (“Dance is the highest expression of human existence!”), and what happens when a cast list is posted.

Theatre Camp was a pleasant trip down memory lane.