Family Camp is a faith-based movie that is disguised as a comedy. The film does not hit you over the head with biblical scriptures or readings, but there are enough in the movie that might turn away those that do not follow religion. Is the movie bad; not really. Have we seen this movie before? Yes! Yes, we have.
Family Camp follows the Ackerman family and their attempt to become a family again. The father is always busy with work. The daughter is always on her phone and the son is just in a class of his own. We get a hint as to how disconnected the father is when he shows up late to church dressed in his golf gear. Tommy Ackerman, played by Tommy Woodward of the Skit Guys, is an unlikable character from when we first meet him. He is too obsessed with his job that he is constantly messing up simple plans for the family.
If was not for Tommy’s mess up we would not be introduced to the Sanders family. The Sanders are the exact opposite of the Ackermans. They are a God-fearing family that is picture perfect compared to the Ackermans. Their children listen to the dad, Eddie, without any talkback and they pray together at night before going to bed. One thing that the Sanders have over the Ackermans is the Family Camp Championship Cup. They have won it for the last two years and are aiming to win it again.
This is where the story starts to feel familiar. We already know that the two father’s are going to go head-to-head to see who is the better dad. They are going to push their families to do all they can to win that trophy. Along the way they are going to realize what is important and have a change of heart. Lessons will be learned and they will both be better men from this.
While most of that is true, the story takes a strange turn when Tommy and Eddie get lost on a nature hike. The hike is part of the camp tradition and all of the dads pair up and go on this hike together. When nature calls, Eddie has Tommy wait for him and this side excursion leads Eddie to find honeycombs and he tries to grab one. As the bees chase Eddie, he causes Tommy to lose the path there were on and get they lost in the woods.
The humor in the story takes a backseat as we see the camp counselor get medical teams ready to search for the missing fathers. During these moments the two wives open up to each other about the issues their marriages are having. The son decides he is going to make his father proud and goes out to search for them on his own. With the son missing now, the attempt to find both men and the son becomes the focus of the story.
What happens next? The father’s learn to work together and find their way back to the path. They realize that they both have strengths and weakness that can assist them in their time of need. It seems that they will become the best of friends but then Tommy discovers a secret that Eddie was hiding. This secret causes a riff in their new friendship and Tommy goes back to the camp leaving Eddie behind.
The movie takes a lot of twists that you do not see happening. Based on the trailer, it seems like a straight-up comedy about two fathers fighting each other to win the camp trohpy. Families bond and they all live happily ever after. The movie is much more than that. Due to this it might lose younger viewers and there are not enought pratfalls to keep them from walking away.
Final Thoughts: Family Camp is a Faith-based comedy intended for a specific audience. For those that do not follow any faith, the movie will seem cheesy and over the top. While it does have a good message about family and what’s important, others might find it heavy-handed with the teachings of the bible.
Kid-Friendly: The film is very kid-friendly. There are no swear words but the use of the words “idiot” and “stupid” are hurled about. A scene where the two dads get into a fight due to competition might be a good conversation starter about sportsmanship and ways to behave.
Violence: Among the fight scene mentioned above, there is a scene involving two Big Foot hunters that might be a little intense for younger viewers. There are pratfalls, people running into objects and being thrown from an ATV stopping too fast, but nothing that is really too violent for kids.
The hilarious family-comedy, Family Camp arrives on DVD , Digital and Video on Demand on June 28 from Lionsgate. The film follows two families competing for the coveted camp trophy while the dads try to keep their families and marriages together. Directed and written by Brian Cates (TV’s The Glory of Christmas, Super Dads), Family Camp will be available for the suggested retail prices for DVD is $19.98, Digital $14.99 and Video On Demand for $5.99.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
When Grace Ackerman signs her family up for a rustic summer Family Camp, a comedy of errors ensues as these polar-opposite families must share a yurt and compete for the camp’s coveted games trophy. It’s not until the two dads end up lost in the woods that their faith and family bonds are truly tested in this heartwarming family comedy.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
- Trailer
- Heart of Family Camp
- Who Are the Skit Guys?
- Deleted Scenes
- Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
- Rhett Walker Goes Behind the Scenes
- Eddie’s Yurt Tour