Movie Review: A Jewish Summer Camp comedy with more “Oys” than Laughs — “The Floaters”

The summer camp comedy “The Floaters” makes its way to theaters after spending the past year making the rounds of the Jewish Film Festival circuit, where it probably should have remained.

Foul-mouthed, cliched and inane, it isn’t funny and adds nothing to the “summer camp” movie genre.

One under-developed plot thread is about the “camp experience” it can take decades for adults to shake off.

The film’s teen lead’s “journey,” from privileged, Yale-coveting “self-hating Jew” to one who embraces — if only at ironic arm’s length — the “Medieval crap” traditions and superstitions of “our people,” is barely brushed over.

It’s lost in the squishy side-stories and general vulgarity of an outdoor “safe space” for products of permissive Jewish parenting.

“Is it in the f—–g Bible, or not?”

Jonah (Judah Lewis) is leery of this whole idea of going to Camp Daveed,” the “JEWISH Jewish” camp his dad (Jonathan Silverman) went to, way back when. He’s got orders to kiss up to a kid whose mom runs Yale University’s admissions. Oh, and have fun.

Bullies will be confronted, “kosher” will be tested and mocked, loners like Judah and camp outcast Lindsay (Nina Bloomgarden) will bond and the “dweebs” of many ethnicities and pronouns of Camp Daveed will renew their rivalry with the “douche bros” of nearby Camp Barack.

That camp is run by Daniel (Seth Green who at least remembers what it was like to play something as “funny”). Steve Guttenberg‘s Manny is the figurehead director of Camp Daveed, a character played with an empty earnestness and a smattering of “Oy veys” who confesses to a lifelong obsession with “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Rabbi Rachel (Aya Cash) sets the tone for the teaching that goes on about “our people,” “our history” and “Israel.” She’s always looking for new ways to engage with the kids, “The Torah as fan fiction,” etc.

“Here at Camp Daveed, you leave a piece of you behind!”

Sarah Podemski plays Mara, the alumnus of the camp who has made it her mission — as the “real” director — to keep it afloat. She’s the one who recruits the 40ish former campmate Noni (Jackie Tohn) to join the ranks of her counselors.

Noni’s an over-the-hill “shock effect” rocker just canned from her latest band as they’re about to tour Europe. She’ll take on “The Floaters,” the kids who arrived at camp without signing up for any “activities.” Noni’ll give them a taste of freedom to create “art,” which turns out to be a kid’s juvenile idea of a Jewish identity skit for their big competition against Camp Barack.

One counselor’s suggestion that “We need to start talking about HARD stuff — guns, race, politics, ISRAEL” — is as close as this meandering misshapen mess gets to speaking to its moment, arriving in theaters two years into Israel’s Gaza genocide.

Well, that and the ice cream “historical maps of Israel” contest.

A subtext about the hurtful nicknames that stick and other downsides of camp chasing one into adulthood is promising.

“Camp” is either “the most important experience in your life,” or “It’s just camp.”

“GLOW” alumna Tohn sets the tone for all the performances here — competently unmoving and uninteresting. Rachel Israel’s direction is flat, unemotional and unamusing.

Campfire rap-alongs, “Ishtar” cracks kids won’t get, a little obvious grasping at inclusion (gay, Asian and Black Jews are in the mix of campers and counselors), punny T-shirts (“Ain’t no Challah Back Girl”) and a sentimental cinematic “skit” are all “The Floaters” serves up as “entertainment.”

Thus a “niche audience” movie further shrinks its niche as it becomes as dull as it is unrelateable outside of its specialty film fest run

Cast: Jackie Tohn, Sarah Podemski, Judah Lewis, Aya Cash, Nina Bloomgarden, Thani Brant, Steve Guttenberg, Jonathan Silverman and Seth Green.

Credits: Directed by Rachel Israel, scripted by Amelia Brain, Andra Gordon and Brent Hoff. A Brainstorm Media release.

Running time: 1:40

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About Roger Moore

Movie Critic, formerly with McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Orlando Sentinel, published in Spin Magazine, The World and now published here, Orlando Magazine, Autoweek Magazine
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