SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER // A FILM REVIEW OF "BOYS VS. GIRLS"
The film world of the 70's, 80's & 90's was filled with summer camp comedies. Whether it was an adult comedy like Meatballs, a family-friendly trip like SpaceCamp or a slasher film like Friday the 13th, the summer camp nostalgia was in full swing for three decades. Wet Hot American Summer had success with its original (and Netflix sequels) send-up of summer camp and now camp is back in session with Michael Stasko's BOYS VS. GIRLS, itself a homage to his own real-life camp memories at Camp Kitchikewana.
The main plot takes us to the fictional Camp Kindlewood where, due to budget restrictions, the Camp is forced to shorten its summer season (which welcomed boys in July and girls in August) to one season, making it a co-ed experience. Instead of welcoming this idea, thel high school aged counselors decide to go to war with each other, truly making it a "battle of the sexes." Two of the kids, Dale (Eric Osborne) and Amber (Rachel Dagenais) nearly dated last year in school and have been bitter rivals ever since, heightening the tension even more. Chaos ensues as Camp Manager Roger (Colin Mochrie) tries his best to keep everyone happy and keep the camp from completely falling apart.
What works with Boys Vs. Girls is the nostalgia factor of summer camp. A film about a summer camp automatically has a certain charm to it. The actors (with only a few exceptions) also are all quite good, with Osborne, Dagenais, Mochrie and Jesse Camacho being the true standouts. There are also some genuinely funny lines and a few inspired moments of real weirdness. More often than not, however, the film just doesn't work as a comedy because it's just not that funny. Jokes often fall flat, resulting in an eye roll instead of a belly laugh and a couple of sequences even feel like they're second rate deleted scenes. The cast includes Kevin McDonald, a very funny comedian best known from his day in The Kids in the Hall, in the oddball roll of the, well, oddball adult worker whose character is definitely strange but never inspired. The "war of the sexes" is pretty lame as well, with worn out jokes involving underwear stealing, period humor and girls using their "feminine wiles" to distract the boys. Not exactly new material (a final "team-up" between the girls and boys is meant to be charming & funny but is a long shot for either). Yet throughout the film, there is a sweetness that's infectious and the main duo of Osborne and Dagenais are extremely charming. If only the script followed through on the insane weirdness of actual summer camp and committed to the jokes, this low budget indie might actually get the laughs it's hoping for.
GRADE: C+
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Michael Stasko STARRING Eric Osborne, Rachel Dagenais, Colin Mochrie, Kevin McDonald, Jesse Camacho, Michala Brasseur, Romeo Carere, Samantha Helt, Shaun Benson. NOW AVAILABLE ON VOD EVERYWHERE. FOR MORE INFO: https://boysvgirlsmovie.ca/