Camp Takota (Chris and Nick Riedell, 2014): USA

By Allison Fuerst. Viewed on DVD.

From producer Michael Goldfine, stars YouTube personalities Grace Helbig, Marmie Hart and Hannah Hart in “Camp Takota.” His decision to distribute the film online, based on the cast’s YouTube celebrity, proved rather successful. The women were able to take advantage of their combined 3.5 million subscribers to leverage their fans and promote the film. Helbig, known for her YouTube show, Daily Grace, plays protagonist Elise Miller who heads back to her childhood camp after her personal and professional life falls apart. Her co-stars, Hart and Hart (no relation), seen in My Drunk Kitchen and You Deserve a Drink take on the roles of old camp friends. With the film being dropped from production by Chill.com and being picked back up by VHX, the movie was finally released in February of this year by RockStream Studios. Written by Lydia Genner and directed by The Brothers Riedell, “Camp Takota” is a heartfelt comedy that touches on the importance of staying true to yourself.

This movie is unique in that its success reveals the potential of YouTube personalities to be able to star in movies, as well. Serving as their initial creative outlet, the girls have begun expanding out. “None of us wanted a singular YouTube career,” Helbig told TheWrap. “We all wanted to be multi-platform – whether we all knew that or not.” Furthermore, fans were essentially able to watch a documentary about the film’s nine-month production through videos uploaded by the girls themselves. This concept is revolutionary as it creates a more social film production and builds the relationships of actors and audiences for the 21^st century.

After loosing her career at a publishing company due to an accidental photo leakage and coming home early to find her fiancé in bed with another woman, Elise finds herself utterly hopeless. With nothing else to do, Elise decides to take up the offer she was given by her old camp director, to be a counselor at her old, all-girls summer camp. Known as Camp Takota, Elise is forced to return to the place she would retreat during her childhood and rediscover herself. Helbig does an amazing job at portraying her corky character as a hot-mess throughout her journey.

Along the way, co-stars Maxine Reynolds (Mamrie Hart) and Allison Henry (Hannah Hart), friends of Elise from when she went to camp who never left, help her to understand her values and realize what’s important. Marmie’s acting skills shine through in her role as Maxine, a feisty individual whose primary goal is to preserve the summer camp she loved as a child and can’t seem to leave. The part of Allison, who is the chef at camp, is played less successfully as Hannah fails to get into her role, leaving her character to sometimes appear dry and emotionless. With the camp in decay, Elise also puts aside her problems to help save the camp. Through this process she is able to come to terms with reality and get a better handle on her own life, as well.

Of course, the movie would be nothing without a hot stud to further help her through her tough times. Chris Reidell, taking on the character Eli Morton, effectively plays this role. On the whole, the movie succeeded in its portrayal of strong friendship and the importance of sticking to your beliefs. However, the success of the YouTube personalities is what makes the film so distinct and may open new doors as to the future of film production.