Family Camp
for some action and thematic elements.
Check back later for review coming from contributor David Cook
| Moral Rating: | Excellent! |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Family Adults Preteens Kids |
| Genre: | Family Comedy |
| Length: | 1 hr. 51 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2022 |
| USA Release: |
May 13, 2022 (854 theaters) DVD: June 28, 2022 |
Polar-opposite families forced to be together
Feeling that your family is falling apart
Solving family problems
Solving marriage problems
How to love your wife
How to love your husband
For a follower of Christ, what is LOVE—a feeling, an emotion, or an action?
What is a TRUE BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN?
What does the Bible say about pride and HUMILITY?
What is meekness? and why is it a trait of the truly wise?
What is biblical WISDOM?
What advice do you have for new or growing Christians? Answer
What is FAITH and why is it important? Answer
What is faithfulness?
What is TRUTH? Answer
Learning how to forgive
What is SIN? Answer
| Featuring |
Tommy Woodard … Tommy Ackerman Eddie James … Eddie Sanders Leigh-Allyn Baker … Grace Ackerman Gigi Orsillo … Victoria Sanders Cece Kelly … Hannah Ackerman Jacob M Wade … Henry Ackerman Elias Kemuel … Ed Jr. Sanders Keslee Blalock … Barb Sanders Mark Christopher Lawrence … Pastor Dave Robert Amaya … Joel See all » |
| Director |
Brian Cates |
| Producer |
Provident Films Reserve Entertainment See all » |
| Distributor |
 Roadside Attractions, a division of Lionsgate Films |
“I’m not junk. God doesn’t make junk,” one character explains in a touching moment of “Family Camp.”
The Skit Guys are a duo of content creators that have been entertaining Christian audiences and churchgoers since the infancy of YouTube. Their brand of goofy-yet-sweet sketches are a perfect blend of entertainment and poignancy. With “Family Camp,” they take that formula and make the leap to the big screen with their first feature film.
Tommy (Tommy Woodard—“The Skit Guys”) is a successful businessman, but his wife Grace (Leigh-Allyn Baker—“Will and Grace,” “Good-Luck Charlie”) yearns for more. She desperately wants him to spend some quality time with her and the kids. How can that happen?
Family church camp, of course.
Upon arrival at Camp Katokwah, they are forced to share a cabin (actually a yurt) with a seemingly perfect family led by patriarch Eddie (Eddie James—“The Skit Guys”). Now, Tommy’s family feels that they must put on their “perfect” façade as they participate in various camp activities and competitions. However, these disguises can’t last forever, and the true identities of these families will eventually be revealed.
It’s amazing to me that a goofy, cheesy, family movie can be profound; but “Family Camp” does it. The film starts at a breakneck pace with Disney-Channel-style rapid dialog and punchlines. The editing is quick, the jokes are nutty, and the premise is simple. It’s reminiscent of 80’s comedies like “Caddyshack” and “Vacation.” Even with its familiar tropes, the jokes are subverted with fresh, comedic takes. As the story develops, that speedy pace subtly slows down and restrains itself to take time to focus on each character and the challenges they must face. These Christians aren’t perfect. They are far from it. Their struggles are our struggles. Their hopes are our hopes.
“I’ve been forgiven a lot, so I need to be able to forgive,” one character realizes. This thought comes directly from Ephesians 4:32:
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
In God’s sight, it is totally unacceptable for a Christian to refuse to forgive others. Remember the parable of the master who forgave a guilty man who owed him an amount so enormous that he could never hope to pay it back? The master completely forgave him. But, afterward, that forgiven man roughly grabbed another who owed him a very small amount, and allowed him no time to repay—showed him no mercy—and threw him into prison. When the master heard of this, he was FURIOUS and his punishment was swift.
In that parable, the Master represents God. And the forgiven man represents you—if you have similarly FAILED to forgive another, when Christ’s blood has paid your unpayable debt to God, and He has forgiven you for everything you have ever done wrong—and for your continuing failures to do everything that is truly right and good.
Therefore, we have a responsibility to be humble, forgiving, loving servants of God.
“In a word, live together in the forgiveness of your sins, for without it no human fellowship…can survive. Don’t insist on your rights, don’t blame each other, don’t judge or condemn each other, don’t find fault with each other, but accept each other as you are, and forgive each other every day from the bottom of your hearts…” —Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
The Skit Guys know their audience, and they are specifically appealing to their Christian fans with “Family Camp.” They poke fun at various parts of Christian culture, but they also tackle serious issues within the Christian community—marital struggles, recognition of personal sin, current-dayidolatry, and failing to trust in God and His Plan for our lives.
Whether you are a Christian or not, the values of this film are universal. When it removes the false veil that some Christians wear on Sunday mornings, vulnerability takes center stage. It honestly shows how screwed up some of us Christians are and how desperately they are trying to get through the day. Sometimes Christians feel like junk, but again, “God doesn’t make junk,” and I’m thankful this movie reminds us of that truth.
- Violence: Mild (slapstick)
- Vulgar/Crude language: Minor
- Sex: Minor
- Profane language: None
- Nudity: None
- Drugs/Alcohol: None
- Occult: None
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.