Alright, deep breaths. Disney+, what are you doing? This looks hokey, this looks jokey, and it looks like it belongs in the early 2000s. But alright, I’m psyching myself up to get the right carefree, relaxed, open-minded, child-hearted attitude to give Magic Camp a fair go… I-I-I like fun. This could be fun. And I recognise that this movie is for kids and not for somebody who has been around the sun as many times as I have. So, if Magic Camp sucks, it won’t be the end of the world.
Washed-up magician Andy Duckerman (Adam DeVine) now drives a taxicab, while his former partner Kristina Darkwood (Gillian Jacobs) is a big, big star. President of the Institute of Magic, Roy Preston (Jeffery Tambor), appears in Andy’s car (as if by magic), and offers him a job mentoring students at his summer camp. Preston tells Andy that Darkwood will be there, and hopefully they can smooth out the quarrel between them, but Andy sees the job as an opportunity to beat her in the end-of-camp showcase where students compete for the Top Hat and the Golden Wand. Andy is unfortunately assigned a hodgepodge of trainee magicians, who may end up being more talented than what meets the eye. The diamond in the rough is Theo Moses (Nathaniel McIntyre), an absolute whiz at card tricks, who must overcome a lack of confidence performing magic, developed since his Dad passed away.
If this generation needs a new Jack Black, then I’m happy for it to be Adam DeVine; I mean, they talk exactly the same, right? I’m also so used to Britta being the worst, that it’s a shock to see Gillian Jacob’s Kristina Darkwood as the best magician – but I’m also glad to see her getting a lead gig, since she’s often a neglected piece of what makes one of the best TV sitcoms in the world work; Community. Let’s talk about the kids, because the movie hinges on these students having engaging personalities. Ruth (Isabella Cramp) has a hysterical bunny obsession, until she discovers something bigger and better; she’s a keeper. Vera (Izabella Alverez) is totally a pint-sized copy of Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99, and the actor who plays Nathan (Cole Sand) could be a pastier clone of Christopher Mintz-Plasse, A.K.A McLovin. J.J. Totah as Judd is probably the most natural young actor, capitalising on his emotional scenes, where he has to tell his Dad that his passion is in costuming, as well as being effortlessly vibrant. Nathaniel McIntyre is also effective as Theo, but he has to be the reserved one, while the others can be hilarious… Jeffery Tambor is absolutely charming, as the head of the Institute, and oh, and my sexy man-crush is back; Aldis Hodge, makes an appearance in flashbacks as Theo’s father.
This movie actually put a tear in my eye when it’s revealed who sent Theo’s application through to magic camp. The movie knows what it is, implementing a few running jokes about how everyone who likes magic is a nerd, whilst also celebrating some really cool and famous magic tricks. I like how the rabbits keep multiplying, and that it riffs on how Preston prefers to give the camp the prestigious name of The Institute of Magic, but everyone knows its Magic Camp. There’s a risk that Andy was going to come across as too selfish or negative to be likeable, but the conflict between him and Darkwood is strongly fleshed out, and Andy develops a sweet connection teaching the kids, especially when it comes to getting Theo out of his shell. Despite myself, I really liked Magic Camp, considering the trailer had me screwing up my face like a discarded chocolate wrapper. When Andy screams ‘magic fight!’, you’re either going to laugh with the goofiness or check out – I laughed. At first, I found it strange that Andy’s cabin is assigned the Hearts, when surely the Clubs are the weakest suit in the card deck, (everybody knows that), but then it’s clear that ‘the Hearts’ lends itself to too much symbolism and too many pun-opportunities at heart-felt moments for the movie to ignore; ‘heart-felt moments’, see now I’m doing it! Admittedly, a few of the events in the movie don’t lead anywhere, like the cool task of finding props in the street, and there are a couple of weaker scenes, but hey, it could have been a lot worse. It could have been a lot worse.
And I know what you’re thinking – you’re thinking, ‘Today Junior, if you were expecting to hate this movie, why even bother to watch it?’ Well, I think the answer is right here; sometimes you might expect a dud and be pleasantly surprised. You don’t really know until you peak behind the poster, or trek beyond the trailer. Magic Camp is exactly what I hoped it would be; silly, funny and warm, with some adorable quirky characters thrown in. If asked, I’d say School of Rock is probably the most replayable family movie of the 2000s, and to call Magic Camp ‘School-of-Rock-lite’ is a glowing recommendation. I forget that Disney Channel original movies can be stinkers, but every now and then they produce a High School Musical with just enough camp and cheese to be delicious. I could watch Magic Camp again right now, and I hope others find it and enjoy it.
P.S. The critics at Rotten Tomatoes have Magic Camp at 40%, whilst Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (an earlier release on Disney+, and a movie seriously vying for top spot on my worst movies of the year list), has a score of 86%. If I ever needed any humbling indication that I’m just a guy with a blog, who knows what he likes and nothing else, then this is it. The critics be zaggin’ while I’m out here ziggin’. When you see my rating, just remember Magic Camp is exactly what it needed to be.
4.5
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