Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Friendship comedy misses the target; language, teen smoking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Summer Camp
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
As girls, Nora (Diane Keaton), Mary (Alfre Woodard), and Ginny (Kathy Bates) met at SUMMER CAMP and became best friends for life. Fifty years later, despite busy and successful lives, they return for the Camp Pinnacle reunion and remember the art of friendship that they first crafted so many years ago.
Is It Any Good?
Pleasant but pedestrian, this underwhelming comedy aims at an excellent target but only hits the outer ring. The idea of a summer camp reunion is fresh, the cinematography in Summer Camp is lovely, and the cast is stellar (familiar faces in the supporting line-up include Eugene Levy and Dennis Haysbert as the friends' now grown childhood crushes, Beverly D'Angelo as the head of the erstwhile Pretty Committee, and Josh Peck as a klutzy camp counselor). The threads are all there for character development and comedy—and yet, they're not woven together well.
What's smart, though, is using mainstream entertainment to redirect ideas about aging women. Nora, Ginny, and Mary are giant steps away from the now archaic portrayals of female characters in their 70s sitting in rocking chairs and making pies, barely visible characters in the background of someone else's life. So, even though Summer Camp offers chuckles instead of belly laughs and the story never quite delivers, it's still creating positive change.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how (and why) media depictions of people in their 60s, 70s, 80s, etc. is changing. How are the characters in Summer Camp examples of positive representation?
How does Ginny demonstrate excellent communication skills, and where does she need to improve? Why is communication an important life skill?
What is "the power of no," and why is that a lesson Mary needs to learn?
What is the movie saying about the value of friendship? Do you have friends you think you'll still be close to decades down the line?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 31, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : June 25, 2024
- Cast : Diane Keaton , Kathy Bates , Alfre Woodard
- Director : Castille Landon
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Roadside Attractions
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual material, strong language and some underage smoking
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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