There was a buzz surrounding this picture at the Sundance Film Festival. I believe it was at the top of Peter Travers' list in his Rolling Stone Sundance report. God bless you Mr. Travers, but what the hell were you thinking?

Camp was obviously inspired by Fame and Rent, and features a musically talented cast. This group of youngsters head out to Camp Ovation, where they attempt to hone their song and dance skills by putting on several musicals during the course of a summer. Of course what coming of age story would be complete without a little romance? Camp features a few love story subplots that range from charming to a tad twisted.

Camp clearly works best when it's about the music. There are some terrific numbers in this movie, and there all shot in a straight forward fashion. Director Todd Graff (who's worked as an actor in movies such as The Abyss) isn't interested in a flashy, quick editing style. His direction is fairly basic, and given the talent of the cast, this is perfectly acceptable. The movie falters a bit in the dialogue department--it's painfully stilted and trite. But it does excel with confidence when it sticks to the music.

Some of the characterizations in Camp are over the top, making the title of this movie all the more fitting. Even when the picture is going for satire, it never completely works. This is by no fault of a really interesting cast. Daniel Letteire, Joanna Chilcoat, Robin de Jesus, Sasha Allen, Tiffany Taylor, and Don Dixon all bring something unique to the musical table, but again they're forced to utter some truly awful dialogue.

There is no doubt that Camp has it's charming moments. I did find myself smiling on more than one occasion. There is also no doubt that this cast can sing. Some of the musical moments here are quite stirring, none more so than one towards the end of the picture when a young woman speaks out to her overly critical father through a moving song. And I can't deny this movie's creativity.

I only wish that Camp were a little more solid. Unfortunately, this picture only really works half the time. I'm speaking of the musical half, whereas a movie like Hedwig and the Angry Inch is extremely well rounded. When these teenagers face off with familiar adolescent problems, they are (save for a couple of exceptions) unable to convey honesty through words. When their singing about it, however, Camp comes alive.