Summer Camp tells the story of three best friends who met decades ago as kids at the same summer camp. Since then, Nora, Ginny, and Mary have remained friends, but have also found themselves slowly pulled in different directions by the circumstances of life. When a summer camp reunion rolls around, they all agree (some more easily than others) to attend, hoping to recapture the magic of their youth and reconnect after their time apart.

The film comes from writer/director Castille Landon and stars Diane Keaton, Kathy Bates, and Alfre Woodard as the leading trio. Additional stars include Eugene Levy, Josh Peck, Betsy Sodaro, Beverly D’Angelo, Dennis Haysbert, and Nicole Richie.

Summer Camp introduces us to a trio of women tied together by the circumstances of their youth, but otherwise in different places in their lives. The reserved Nora (Keaton) runs a successful company, but her workaholic tendencies have led her to neglect herself and her personal relationships, especially following the death of her husband. The bold and brash Ginny (Bates) has found fame and widespread acclaim as a self-help guru with a mantra of “Get Your Shit Together” — but her outward confidence covers up her own insecurities and loneliness. Finally, the kind and caring Mary (Woodard) is a nurse getting ready to send her kids off to college. But after putting her plans to become a doctor on hold to raise her family, she’s beginning to realize she feels unfulfilled in both her marriage and her life.

Summer Camp will inevitably draw comparisons to recent films like Book Club, which aim to spotlight female friendship and later-in-life characters that don’t always get the attention they deserve in media. But I have to say, despite an impressive cast and a setting primed for fun and comedic potential, Summer Camp fell flat for me. 

I did enjoy the camp activities, which should inspire nostalgia for anyone who spent their youth at a summer camp of their own. We’ve got rafting, archery, horseback riding, a high ropes course, and more. It also hits on some quintessential camp experiences (bug-filled and slightly run-down cabins, a no outside tech policy and an ancient computer room, someone yelling “Food fight!”). The aesthetic can certainly transport audiences. 

Unfortunately, neither the characters nor the comedy carry this movie the way they should. Most of the jokes fell flat or seemed too forced. The movie might be able to get away with that if the character arcs and emotional depth of Summer Camp hit the bullseye. After all, comedy is subjective; just because I’m not laughing out loud doesn’t mean someone else won’t. But beyond the humor, Summer Camp hinges on demonstrating that Nora, Ginny, and Mary are fundamentally changed by their camp reunion, ready to face their fears and insecurities and change their lives for the better. The movie doesn’t quite manage to convince the audience this is the case.

Nora’s burgeoning romance with Stevie D. (Levy) leads him to have a heart-to-heart with her about choosing to retire, prompting Nora to reconsider her relationship to life and work. Ginny confesses to orchestrating the camp reunion to force her friends to finally spend time together, and changes her big speech to the camp to reflect what she’s learned about friendship and authenticity. Mary decides to leave her husband and finally pursue her career dream to become a doctor. It all just seems a little too simple, the way Summer Camp tries to wrap up these women’s issues, which undercuts the core emotional impact they had in the first place. This feels the most egregious in Mary’s case, whose conflict feels tacked on and extremely under-explored for someone who’s supposed to be making not one, but two radically life-altering changes once she steps off the campground.

(Also, less important, but isn’t it a bit odd that Nora and Mary get upset with Ginny for orchestrating the reunion? I get that Ginny misled them, but it was to do something nice for the three of them, and it was obviously motivated by her loneliness. I just think that if my friend orchestrated a huge grand gesture like that because she missed me, my reaction wouldn’t be anger or annoyance. Oh, well.)

Overall, I just wanted more from Summer Camp. The potential of the premise and the characters ultimately didn’t manage to meet the humor or heart needed to make this one a hit. Unlike your own camp days, you probably won’t want to revisit this one.

Summer Camp premieres in theaters May 31.