Camp Takota (2014) Reviews

• Funny but just not quite 'it'.

  returnofthewerewolves2014-03-07

  I thought it was a funny film, but that's mostly it. Yes, it's a good independent film, and it's amazing how far these youtube ladies have come in comparison to a few years ago. The setting is nice and it has a lot of 'youtube-ish' and good comedy. You can also somewhat relate to the characters, which are played really believable. But it isn't very special and doesn't contain much story-dept. Also the editing really annoyed me. With all the fades and black spaces every few minutes it felt like I was pulled back from the movie and back to the real world. It also has a few short scenes which I didn't thought were necessary. It just didn't really stand out for me. Overall I think it was a very funny and feel-good movie, but it doesn't had very much dept. The result was that it didn't remain in my thoughts afterwards. (I do have to add I was already known with their work before I saw this movie. This may have affected my expectations.)

• Not great but not bad either

  remymichele892014-03-04

  This movie doesn't deserve more than 6 stars. I might even be a little bit too nice. Although I really appreciate those internet personalities, the storyline wasn't great and most of it was predictable. Mamrie's acting was good (I think she's the most experienced one in that area), so was Grace's but Hannah's didn't convince me (sorry Harto. Boop Boop!). It's a good start, though. This is their first movie and you can see that they had fun making it. I really hope that the next one will be more entertaining as well as more elaborate and witty. That being said, if you want to spend a nice evening in front of a sweet movie, Camp Takota is the right fit as long as you don't expect to be blown away by the storyline and the puns.

• Badly Written

  treeoflife9872014-02-19

  So, this is a movie that is only doing well because people enjoy the Youtubers associated with it. Grace Helbig is an okay actress, believable, and probably better than I expected and absolutely the best in the movie. The plot was silly, and how she reacted to a cheating fiancé was nothing short of ridiculous, but that is the fault of poor writing. The acting was "okay", no one was embarrassingly bad besides the boss in the beginning of the movie. I assume she was told to act like a more mild version of Miranda Priestly from "The Devil Wears Prada", which means it just looked like an absolutely horrible performance. If the thought comes to anyone's mind to act like Meryl Streep, don't, because you will fall on your face. In short: This movie has alright acting, a silly plot, and very poor writing.

• Heartwarming, hilarious, and nostalgic

  omi_132014-02-14

  This film, despite having traditional, good old fashioned fun at it's very core, is hugely important in terms of indie films of the future. Not only does it rely on downloads for income, it's stars, Grace Helbig (Elise), Mamrie Hart (Maxine) and Hannah Hart (Allison) all spend most of their time being wonderfully funny and talented YouTube comedians. The way everything was produced, distributed, and made- from casting, to vlogging of it's production- marks an exciting future for film. This excitement is heightened when watching the picture itself. Elise, an aspiring writer, seems to have her future secured with to-be husband Jeff (Chester See, another YouTube sensation), spending all her spare minutes researching honeymoons in Paris. However, a rather awful afternoon flips her surface-perfect life upside down. Her old summer camp is the flip side that she finds herself in, after a drunken night on Facebook with her mobile and all the wrong- or right- numbers by her side. Upon arriving at camp, she finds herself being reunited with old friends Maxine and Allison, who don't seem to have moved from when she last saw them, when they were still lil' tater tots experiencing camp themselves. It is not just old friends that Elise collides with, though- a man in plaid with just the right amount of facial hair, named Eli (Chris Riedell), also happens to sail into her life, and sweetly, realistically awkward encounters ensue. Just when Elise begins to get comfortable (or uncomfortable, in one case) with nature, and settles in with the ways of the camp, the continuation of it's home-made, pinterest-style values are put on the balance, it's future uncertain. Can the dwindling fire of the camp be re-lit? Through trials and tribulations, the highs and low(e)s of friendship, shock phone-calls and sweaty-palmed romances, you find yourself at a satisfying conclusion to this question. With beautiful cinematography, a pastel-filled colour palette and quirky, playful, mise-en-scene, the film is a visual treat. The screenplay, written by Lydia Genner and Mamrie Hart, provides belly laughs and truly tear-jerking moments. The execution and deliverance of the script is of extreme quality, especially considering it's stars have never appeared in any full length feature films before, with Hannah Hart never having acted before in her life. Mamrie Hart's presence on screen is undeniable; a natural performer, her comedic timing utterly perfect. Warm, charismatic and charming, Hannah Hart offers to the film a performance so rich and sweet that it's slightly impossible not to fall in love with her and her tank-top-bandanna outfit combination. Grace Helbig shows true potential as an actress, her ability to captivate the audience effortless and natural. She has no trouble at all in leading the film, her balance of incorporating subtle character traits, raw emotion, and flowing humour proving to be finely tuned. All of the supporting actors, including the children, give just as fantastic performances, each adding their own wonderful twist to the tale of Camp Takota. Promoting friendship, sticking to what you believe in, and trusting yourself, this production will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside- with just the right mix of jokes, development of character arcs and relationships, and enhancement of a beautiful setting, Takota is a very worthwhile watch.

• Great to watch, very funny and a lesson about friendship

  Dopemoney222014-02-17

  Even though the movie is a low budget film, it is incredibly entertaining. Camp takota is a good movie to watch with anyone. Grace helbig, Hannah hart, and mamrie hart did an outstanding job. I sure did learn something from the film. Even my 12 year old brother liked the movie. I don't regret buying this movie it was worth it. I just wished that they'd get more into Allison's (Hannah) life. But other than that it was awesome. Hopefully there's camp takota 2 or some new movie by these 3 wonderful and inspirational women. Its just weird seeing them act so serious and even fight because not only they're best friends I'm real life and I cannot possibly see them fight but also I spend my days watching them being goof balls and charming in they're YouTube channels so this movie was oddly refreshing :)