Camp Nowhere
Camp Nowhere | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jonathan Prince |
Produced by | Michael Peyser |
Written by |
Andrew Kurtzman Eliot Wald |
Starring | |
Music by | David Lawrence |
Cinematography | Sandi Sissel |
Edited by | Jon Poll |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release dates | August 26, 1994 |
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $10,475,705 (US)[1] |
Camp Nowhere is a 1994 American adventure comedy film directed by Jonathan Prince, written by Andrew Kurtzman and Eliot Wald, and stars Christopher Lloyd, Jonathan Jackson and Jessica Alba in her film debut.[2] The film is rated PG by the MPAA,[2] and is the first family film under Disney's Hollywood Pictures banner.
Plot
Morris "Mud" Himmel has a problem: his parents want to send him away to a summer computer camp. He hates going to summer camp, and would do anything to get out of it. Talking to his friends, he realizes that they are all facing the same sentence of going to a boring summer camp. Together with them, he hatches a plan to create their own summer camp with no parents, no counselors, and no rules. Word gets out and other kids want to join the made up summer camp. Mud decides to blackmail former drama teacher Dennis Van Welker into helping; he had bought an AMC Gremlin and failed to make most of the payments and is being pursued by soon-to-retire collector T.R. Polk, and agrees to help them in return for $1,000.
With Dennis' help, the kids trick all the parents into sending them to the camp, and then rent an old campground (that used to be a hippie commune back in the 1960's and 70's.) with a cabin on a lake. Some parents believe it is a computer camp, while others believe it is a fat camp, military camp, or an acting camp. The kids use the money their parents had paid for camp to buy toys and food. After a little while, they get bored and wonder if they should just return home. Mud goes to Dennis for help, and with a bribe, he soon finds ways to keep things interesting and help them continue to have fun.
Eventually, the parents want to come visit their kids, despite being told that there are no parents' days. Mud makes a plan to trick them and, along with his friends, they keep the camp concealed. In a matter of hours, they fix it up and set up different scenarios representing the different camps (fat camp, computer camp, military camp, etc.) Their plan works and the parents don't suspect a thing. T.R. Polk then meets a state trooper who was also seeking Dennis, and they find their way into the camp and catch him. The police are called and Mud finds Dennis running away from the authorities. Mud is confronted by the police and protects Dennis from them, but soon after Dennis turns himself in. Mud confesses and explains that the whole thing was his idea, and uses the rest of the money to pay T.R. Polk, who'll retire with a perfect record. Dennis gets off the hook and the kids leave for home, having had the greatest summer of their lives.
Cast
- Jonathan Jackson as Morris "Mud" Himmel
- Christopher Lloyd as Dennis Van Welker
- Melody Kay as Gaby Nowicki
- Andrew Keegan as Zack Dell
- Marnette Patterson as Trish Prescott
- Wendy Makkena as Dr. Celeste Dunbar
- Thomas F. Wilson as Lt. Eliot Hendricks
- Hillary Tuck as Betty Stoller
- Devin Neil Oatway as Tim
- Allison Mack as Heather. Mack would appear in the two-part series finale of The Nightmare Room also entitled "Camp Nowhere".
- Jessica Alba as Gail
- Michael Zorek - Chez Cheez Guy
- Ian Christopher Scott as Warren
- Nathan Cavaleri as Steve
- Heather DeLoach as Eileen
- Paige Andree as Jill
- Leah Theresa Hanner as Debbie
- Mooky Arizona as Arnold Spiegel
- Kazz Wingate IV as Pete
- Kellen McLaughlin as J.D.
- Brian Wagner as Lenny
- Joshua G. Mayweather as Walter
- Nicolas Friedman as Ricky
- Alyssa Poblador as Nicole
- Tiffany Mataras as Ashley
- Krystal Mataras as Amber
- Peter Scolari as Donald Himmel
- Romy Windsor as Nancy Himmel
- M. Emmet Walsh as T.R. Polk
- Ray Baker as Norris Prescott
- Kate Mulgrew as Rachel Prescott
- John Putch as Neil Garbus
- Burgess Meredith as Fein
- Maryedith Burrell as Gwen Nowicki
- Peter Onorati as Karl Dell
- Jonathan Frakes as Bob Spiegel
- Genie Francis as Mrs. Spiegel
Reception
The film received negative reviews from critics. Based on 11 reviews compiled retrospectively, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a score of 18%.[3]
References
- ↑ "Camp Nowhere (1994)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- 1 2 Maslin, Janet (August 26, 1994). "Camp Nowhere (1994) FILM REVIEW; Suppose We Rent Some Cabins and Run Our Own Camp?". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Camp Nowhere". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2013-04-10.