Nothing forges a friendship like treating an arrow wound. For Ginny, Mary and Nora, an ill-fated archery lesson and an injured classmate are just the beginning of the lifetime of trouble they’re about to start.

Ginny is a year above the other two, more experienced in both summer camp and girlhood, and takes it upon herself to somewhat forcefully guide her younger friends. Mary cowers in the bathroom away from her bunkmates, spouting medical facts, while Nora hangs back, out of place. When their camp counselor plucks them out of their cabin groups to place them in the new “Sassafras” cabin, they feel like they fit in somewhere for the first time.

50 years later, “Summer Camp” sees the three girls, now women, reunite for the anniversary reunion of the very same camp at which they met. Although they’ve been in touch on-and-off in the preceding decades, this will be the first time the women have seen each other in 15 years.

Between old camp crushes, childhood nemeses and the newer trials of adulthood, the three learn to understand each other, and themselves, in a way that has eluded them the entirety of their friendship.

I really wanted to like “Summer Camp.”

The opening scene, a glimpse at the girls’ first year together at Camp Pinnacle, does a good job at establishing Ginny, Mary and Nora’s dynamic. It’s sweet, funny and feels true to the experience of many adolescent girls’ friendships.

On top of that, this movie’s star-studded cast and heartwarming concept endeared me to it the moment I saw the trailer. Unfortunately, an enticing trailer is about the most “Summer Camp” has to offer.

As soon as we meet our trio as adults, things start to fall apart. It really feels like the whole movie was made to be cut into a trailer — the music is generic, shots cut abruptly between poses, places and scenes, and at one point two of the three separate shots of each woman exiting Ginny’s tour bus are repeated.

The main character and sometimes narrator, Ginny Moon, is a self-help writer who uses “therapy speak” liberally and preaches a tough-love approach to self improvement. This sometimes works perfectly for the movie’s themes but is often used to thwop the viewer over the head with a mallet labeled “WHAT THE CHARACTERS ARE THINKING” rather than letting us figure it out for ourselves.

There are glimpses of a better script — like when Mary’s husband asks her whether she was actually having fun or just being bullied, presumably by Ginny. This added some depth to her relationship with him, implying he actually does listen to her sometimes, and acknowledged the nagging feeling I’d been getting in the back of my head: “Hey, isn’t Ginny kind of mean?”

Despite all my annoyance with “Summer Camp,” there were a few things I really liked about it. I’m a lot younger than the main characters of this movie, but there were multiple points where I found myself thinking, “Hey, my aunt talks like that!” or, “Wow, he sounds just like my dad.”

The dynamic of the three main characters felt very true to life, I’ve known and been each of them at one point or another. It felt especially accurate to the relationships of girls and women, and seeing our protagonists reconcile at the end was, for me, genuinely heartwarming.

“Summer Camp” is not a movie I can recommend for quality, but if you’re looking for a lighthearted, somewhat silly romp to help you get into the summer spirit, this one will do just fine.

Caroline Julstrom, intern, may be reached at 218-855-5851 or cjulstrom@brainerddispatch.com.

Caroline Julstrom finished her second year at the University of Minnesota in May 2024, and started working as a summer intern for the Brainerd Dispatch in June.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ( out of 5)

He looks pretty good for being 45 years old and having a solid diet of the four basic food groups: lasagna, lasagna, lasagna, and lasagna. Garfield (Chris Pratt) has graced newspapers, cinemas, toy stores and has been a window ornament in cars worldwide. As one of the world’s most recognised cats, it is no wonder that he would get a new animated franchise to honour his four decades of lounging around in our lives.

This unlikely adventure takes audiences back to the origins of his life with Odie the beagle and their owner, Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult). As he does all he can to avoid Mondays and any form of exercise and finds new levels of leisure, the orange cat is suddenly confronted by his past as he is reintroduced to his long-lost father, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson). Their sudden family reunion is tainted by the unexpected need for his father to rectify a wrong with one of his former feline friends, the Persian cat – Vinx (Hannah Waddingham). The two cats and a friendly beagle must reacquaint themselves with one another as they work with Odie to fulfil the order from the criminal kitty who needs them to deliver a milk order that would rub any cat the wrong way. Along the way, they must befriend a wise bull named Otto (Ving Rhames) to stay ahead of dairy security officer Marge (Cecily Strong) as they hope to achieve their mission and get home to their life of lasagna and leisure.

When reviewing a film about a lazy, pasta-eating cat, one must manage expectations. To expect this to be groundbreaking cinema might be a bit of a stretch. Also, considering that there is little for families to enjoy in cinemas, The Garfield Movie might be the best snack food option for parents for the season. The tone goes from ridiculous to sentimental and back to farcical as if the source material is based on a classic cartoon, which, of course, it is. A consideration as you continue with this review and realise that the film will do exactly what it is meant to do, entertain families with the fun, ridiculous actions of the cat with little motivation to do much with his life except eat his favourite Italian food and spend time with his owner. Chris Pratt and the rest of the cast come along for the ride to complement this tale of friendship, family and food.

What should parents know about The Garfield Movie? Suppose your children loved the antics of the Super Mario Brothers or liked the humour delivered by the Minions. In that case, this film will provide laughs and a hankering for Italian food afterwards. Most of the laughs for parents will fly over the heads of the little ones and will provide something for the adults in the audience. There is little to object to outside the gluttonous tendencies of this legendary cat. The discussion opportunities after the film include the three Fs of family, friendship and forgiveness.