Hardcore "School of Rock" vibes, with Devine basically doing a full-on poor man's impression of Jack Black. It's nowhere near the inspired fun of that comedy classic, and there's not nearly enough actual, practical, impressive magic (until the final performance). Still, the fun cast of kid characters and unexpected sweetness make it a worthwhile watch for anyone with kids...my 7-year-old was OBSESSED. Again though...if it's an option, just (re-)watch the far superior School of Rock instead.
55 Reviews
Fun family film
eric-wein16 January 2021
We struggle to find movies that both our kids and us parents will enjoy. Saw this on Disney+ and watched just for Adem Devine. It's a cute movie and made our kids interested in magic. Jeffrey Tambor is really good. Adam Devine mimics Jack Black's "School of Rock" performance almost exactly. Worth watching though a bit formulaic and predictable.
for serious film students only
A_Different_Drummer21 August 2020
Fun, cliche and predictable.
cruise0119 August 2020
Magic Camp (3 out of 5 stars).
Magic Camp is a fair family comedy film about a washed out magician Andy (Adam Devine) is invited to coach a group of kids who want to be magicians. While his former partner Kristina (Gillian Jacobs) is coaching a rivalry team and trying to compete on being the better magicians.
The plot is fun. It is predictable and cliche. Andy and Kristina working against each other in teaching kids. You can predict how the story will play out. Plus with a sub plot of young Theo who wants to be a magician after his father inspired him. And the only thing he has left from his father is a deck of cards.
The cast is fun and cute. It does have some fun humor from the likable Adam DeVine. Definitely worth checking out.
Magic Camp is a fair family comedy film about a washed out magician Andy (Adam Devine) is invited to coach a group of kids who want to be magicians. While his former partner Kristina (Gillian Jacobs) is coaching a rivalry team and trying to compete on being the better magicians.
The plot is fun. It is predictable and cliche. Andy and Kristina working against each other in teaching kids. You can predict how the story will play out. Plus with a sub plot of young Theo who wants to be a magician after his father inspired him. And the only thing he has left from his father is a deck of cards.
The cast is fun and cute. It does have some fun humor from the likable Adam DeVine. Definitely worth checking out.
Not bad
brookenichole-9805415 August 2020
Magic Camp honestly feels like a turn around for 2020 movies. Every one I've seen or attempted to see so far have been awful. There's some amazing things that I loved, and there's plenty of boring scenes. There were moments where it was so heartwarming and genuine.
Adam Devine is terrific at bringing the laughs and fun to the movie. The kids actually did a wonderful job acting as well. One thing that needed some fixing was the character development and emotions. I wanted to see more between the families and Andy and Theo.
I did love how this movie didn't include any new ridiculous stuff like the dance moves or jokes like most kids movies do.
Overall, it's a fun watch but it's not perfect.
Nothing surprising, storywise, but the magic is fun to see
cricketbat10 January 2021
Even though it's about tricks & illusions, there's nothing surprising about Magic Camp. It's the same story you've seen a dozen times where a ragtag group of misfits (each with individual skills) and a teacher who has lost his or her motivation learn from each other while overcoming obstacles and bullies. Still, the acting isn't terrible, and the practical effects they use for the magic tricks are impressive. It's a harmless movie the family can enjoy together.
Fun to watch
anaaannya1 February 2022
Walt Disney Studios live-action comedy is "Magic Camp", which tells the story of how a group of misfit campers help a down-on-his-luck magician, played by Adam Devine, who rediscovers his love of magic.
Being honest, I wasn't expecting a massive amount from this film, as it was initially supposed to be released back in 2018.
However, I was wrong about "Magic Camp" being bad, as it's a fun light-hearted comedy. It isn't going to win any awards, it doesn't break any boundaries and certainly isn't a Disney classic, but I enjoyed it. In a time when we have very few movies being released, "Magic Camp" is at least something new, though maybe slightly forgettable.
The characters in this film are very one dimensional, especially the kids, who all play their role perfectly and all bring something interesting to the movie. These kids make the movie because they are outcasts, but together they become a team and while it's very clichéd, it's still fun to watch the kids grow in confidence and find themselves, throughout the film.
Adam Devine is an interesting choice as a lead actor on the film, as he often comes across more of the goofy sidekick character and is believable as someone who never quite got a break. However, the love interest storyline with Kristina Darkwood, was completely pointless and never went anywhere.
If you want a nice family-friendly movie to keep the kids entertained this weekend, "Magic Camp" shouldn't disappoint. I enjoyed it and feel it's worth adding to your watch list. It might not keep you laughing throughout, but its got a lovely heartwarming story that viewers will no doubt relate to. I doubt they'll want to watch it again, but with so few of these mid-tier movies released nowadays, "Magic Camp" does fit the bill, by keeping the family entertained.
Being honest, I wasn't expecting a massive amount from this film, as it was initially supposed to be released back in 2018.
However, I was wrong about "Magic Camp" being bad, as it's a fun light-hearted comedy. It isn't going to win any awards, it doesn't break any boundaries and certainly isn't a Disney classic, but I enjoyed it. In a time when we have very few movies being released, "Magic Camp" is at least something new, though maybe slightly forgettable.
The characters in this film are very one dimensional, especially the kids, who all play their role perfectly and all bring something interesting to the movie. These kids make the movie because they are outcasts, but together they become a team and while it's very clichéd, it's still fun to watch the kids grow in confidence and find themselves, throughout the film.
Adam Devine is an interesting choice as a lead actor on the film, as he often comes across more of the goofy sidekick character and is believable as someone who never quite got a break. However, the love interest storyline with Kristina Darkwood, was completely pointless and never went anywhere.
If you want a nice family-friendly movie to keep the kids entertained this weekend, "Magic Camp" shouldn't disappoint. I enjoyed it and feel it's worth adding to your watch list. It might not keep you laughing throughout, but its got a lovely heartwarming story that viewers will no doubt relate to. I doubt they'll want to watch it again, but with so few of these mid-tier movies released nowadays, "Magic Camp" does fit the bill, by keeping the family entertained.
Great Family Film
kortnikul15 August 2020
We watched this movie with our kids, who are three and seven. We all really enjoyed the movie and laughed a lot. My seven-year-old was absolutely fascinated with the magic tricks! When he really liked something, he clapped like we were at a live show. It was nice to watch a non-animated, family-friendly, and not too childish movie together. There are adult elements of understanding, but it's not too heavy that the kids lose interest. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants something light, silly, and just entertaining.
Classically Disney stuff
everythingdiz5 February 2021
After years of Iron Man and Darth Vader bashing each other with massive bags of Disney cash and fanbois shrieking endlessly about it, it's a real breath of fresh air to see that the mouse house can still make a "regular" family film. Nothing wrong with a bunch of kids noodling around at summer camp, playing with magic tricks and generally having an absolute blast. A near-perfect modernization of the live-action Disney movies of decades ago.
Magic Camp
rnixon-1566317 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Magic camp
2020
U
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Adam Devine, Jeffrey Tambor, Gillian Jacobs, Nathaniel Logan Mcintyre, Cole Sand, Isabella Crovetti, Josie Totah, Isabella Alvarez, Hayden Crawford, Bianca Grava, Rochelle Aytes, etc
Overall rating 76/100
Magic Camp is about a character called Andy (Adam Devine) A former magician who was backstabbed by his former partner, who get's persuaded to become a tutor for a magic camp who trains young aspiring magicians to find there talent. Magic camp was largely something I have seen before, but it's heart was in the right place and I couldn't help but connect to a lot of the characters.
First of all, I loved the opening, the characters were likeable with different personalities and an equal amount of time was spent on all of them. I thought the beginning with all of the history of magicians and what they have accomplished within there careers was a really interesting way to start the film and created the perfect tone for the movie. I also liked that all the characters were likeable. With the amount of characters they actually had in the movie you would think they would focus on just a few, but no all of them had distinct likeable things about them with different personalities to connect with, the movie also gave a fairly equal amount of time on all of them to connect with them and to understand their backgrounds which I was honestly really surprised at.
My next few positives would be the comedic performance from Adam Devine, the humour and the connection between Adam's character and Theo (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre). Adam Devine was amazing in this film, his erratic energy and charm reminded me a lot of Jack Black which was great. But Adam just bought the star quality the film needed, and his type of comedy and performance was perfect for the film, the movie itself when it got it right was also fairly funny, were the jokes fairly recycled and done before, yes. But they still worked and gave me a few laughs, Adam Devine's brutal honesty also bought a lot of funny moments as well. One of my favourite parts of the movie was also the connection and chemistry between Adam and Nathaniel McIntyre. The little character arc between them both was great, Adam's character was like a needed father figure for Theo, motivating him to do his best and to get over his nerves, but also Theo was the motivation for Adam's character to find what he is truly passionate about so this was great.
However, my first few negatives would be how the movie was predictable, had generic antagonists and its humour was occasionally to generic and childish. You could tell what was going to happen in the movie with pretty much everything set up in the beginning. There was no surprises and sadly this lost impact for a lot of the scenes because the movie was trying to make it a big deal when I already knew it was coming, the antagonists in the film were about as generic and non-threatening as it gets. Yes, it's a movie aimed at families with younger kids, but the antagonists were throwing schoolground level insults and none of their actions worked in terms of causing a threat to the hearts group. And the humour occasionally fell into the generic toilet humour for kids, which was a shame because it worked for a lot of the movie, but they sometimes did the cringy eye rolling jokes that I didn't find funny at all.
My next few positives would be the character background, heart-warming tone and emotional weight. Despite It being predictable I did appreciate the amount of character background put into Adam Devine's character, learning of his passion and talent for magic with Darkwood (Gillian Jacobs) really made you connect with his character and him teaching the kids really made him come out of his shell, I also liked the added concept of an opportunity for redemption when Darkwood was good all along. The film had a surprising heartwarming tone and emotional weight to it as well. The character arc of Theo's character doing magic because of his sadly deceased father was very moving, and the use of flashbacks and how much he meant to Theo really added a surprising amount of charm and emotion to the movie as well as his relationship with his mum.
My final negatives would be how generic the film was, also with its recycled plot. The movie did follow a lot of generic stereotypes for this kind of movie, the characters, the situations and the kind of background for characters have all been done before and this movie lacked the creative thought to change that, the plot also felt very recycled from previous Disney movies similar to this, definitely camp rock, there was a lot of scenes that were just to similar not to notice, so this was a shame. My final few positives would be the magic side to the film and the heart-warming ending. The film lived up to it's title by exploring multiple different styles of magic which was all shown and was amazing to watch as some of it you don't even know how they do it. I also thought the ending was very heartwarming. All the performances for the competition were great, but the final performance from Theo was excellent and very heartwarming, the way he included his mum and brother with his performance to show how much he loves them was very emotional as he realised that his mum cares more about his magic then he thought so this was a lovely ending.
Overall despite lacking originality and a compelling enough story, it more then makes up for it with it's characters, with it's heart always being in the right place, for a charming, fun and heartwarming experience.
Overall rating 76/100
Magic Camp is about a character called Andy (Adam Devine) A former magician who was backstabbed by his former partner, who get's persuaded to become a tutor for a magic camp who trains young aspiring magicians to find there talent. Magic camp was largely something I have seen before, but it's heart was in the right place and I couldn't help but connect to a lot of the characters.
First of all, I loved the opening, the characters were likeable with different personalities and an equal amount of time was spent on all of them. I thought the beginning with all of the history of magicians and what they have accomplished within there careers was a really interesting way to start the film and created the perfect tone for the movie. I also liked that all the characters were likeable. With the amount of characters they actually had in the movie you would think they would focus on just a few, but no all of them had distinct likeable things about them with different personalities to connect with, the movie also gave a fairly equal amount of time on all of them to connect with them and to understand their backgrounds which I was honestly really surprised at.
My next few positives would be the comedic performance from Adam Devine, the humour and the connection between Adam's character and Theo (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre). Adam Devine was amazing in this film, his erratic energy and charm reminded me a lot of Jack Black which was great. But Adam just bought the star quality the film needed, and his type of comedy and performance was perfect for the film, the movie itself when it got it right was also fairly funny, were the jokes fairly recycled and done before, yes. But they still worked and gave me a few laughs, Adam Devine's brutal honesty also bought a lot of funny moments as well. One of my favourite parts of the movie was also the connection and chemistry between Adam and Nathaniel McIntyre. The little character arc between them both was great, Adam's character was like a needed father figure for Theo, motivating him to do his best and to get over his nerves, but also Theo was the motivation for Adam's character to find what he is truly passionate about so this was great.
However, my first few negatives would be how the movie was predictable, had generic antagonists and its humour was occasionally to generic and childish. You could tell what was going to happen in the movie with pretty much everything set up in the beginning. There was no surprises and sadly this lost impact for a lot of the scenes because the movie was trying to make it a big deal when I already knew it was coming, the antagonists in the film were about as generic and non-threatening as it gets. Yes, it's a movie aimed at families with younger kids, but the antagonists were throwing schoolground level insults and none of their actions worked in terms of causing a threat to the hearts group. And the humour occasionally fell into the generic toilet humour for kids, which was a shame because it worked for a lot of the movie, but they sometimes did the cringy eye rolling jokes that I didn't find funny at all.
My next few positives would be the character background, heart-warming tone and emotional weight. Despite It being predictable I did appreciate the amount of character background put into Adam Devine's character, learning of his passion and talent for magic with Darkwood (Gillian Jacobs) really made you connect with his character and him teaching the kids really made him come out of his shell, I also liked the added concept of an opportunity for redemption when Darkwood was good all along. The film had a surprising heartwarming tone and emotional weight to it as well. The character arc of Theo's character doing magic because of his sadly deceased father was very moving, and the use of flashbacks and how much he meant to Theo really added a surprising amount of charm and emotion to the movie as well as his relationship with his mum.
My final negatives would be how generic the film was, also with its recycled plot. The movie did follow a lot of generic stereotypes for this kind of movie, the characters, the situations and the kind of background for characters have all been done before and this movie lacked the creative thought to change that, the plot also felt very recycled from previous Disney movies similar to this, definitely camp rock, there was a lot of scenes that were just to similar not to notice, so this was a shame. My final few positives would be the magic side to the film and the heart-warming ending. The film lived up to it's title by exploring multiple different styles of magic which was all shown and was amazing to watch as some of it you don't even know how they do it. I also thought the ending was very heartwarming. All the performances for the competition were great, but the final performance from Theo was excellent and very heartwarming, the way he included his mum and brother with his performance to show how much he loves them was very emotional as he realised that his mum cares more about his magic then he thought so this was a lovely ending.
Overall despite lacking originality and a compelling enough story, it more then makes up for it with it's characters, with it's heart always being in the right place, for a charming, fun and heartwarming experience.
Extremely meh
doomedmac16 August 2020
Good Family Fun
bradleyandiris15 August 2020
Typical Disney Movie isn't a bad thing when you're trying to entertain the kids for an evening. And this movie did just that! Very entertaining with a fun story and great heart. Nobody's winning any Oscars for their performance, but this one's worth the time. Fantastic music.
A Samurai with bunnies
nogodnomasters24 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Andy (Adam Devine) drives a Lyft/Uber in Vegas. A former magician down on his luck. His former partner Darkwood (Gillian Jacobs ) is a headliner at Caesar's Palace. Both become instructors at Magic Camp and are divided into 4 groups. Andy has all raw newbies with one promising stage fright student, Theo (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre).
This has all the makings of Meatballs 2. Things are very predictable. On two occasions the kids say something that sounds similar to "buck ya" except it sounds more obscene. Is this something the PG censors missed or is there another slang out there I don't know about.
This has all the makings of Meatballs 2. Things are very predictable. On two occasions the kids say something that sounds similar to "buck ya" except it sounds more obscene. Is this something the PG censors missed or is there another slang out there I don't know about.
its disney magic
ops-5253514 August 2020
And not so much for a grumpy old man. its the disney magic incubator grooming wand waving cardshufling perfect childactors in a hyperbenign adventure comedy, were even the bad seeds taste sweet as sugarbread,and the most propane word is mygawd, its a perfect child/family retreat. all clicheed and no nailbayting suspense here,just a magic smile allround.
A feel good film
Gordon-1119 August 2020
Magic Camp
marmar-6978021 August 2020
Magic Camp was a nice and sweet film that is a worthy watch at least for children but even the more older audience can enjoy this one to,since i watched it and enjoyed it for most of time,sure this film isnt nothing spectacular or brilliant,but i didnt expected from it to be,i mean come on just read the title Magic Camp it is cler message that film will have a lot of sweetsy moments that are predictable and cliched but they still had that dose of good feeling in it,young actors also did a very good job and they were very cute and likeable,Adam Devine was also fine but not so funny to me,Magic Camp was a cute and fine film for kids
Simple, mostly predictable and oh so enjoyable.
barryinhawaii6 September 2020
I have to tell you that even though my headline explains it all, I have to say this movie was refreshing and a great change from the typical blockbuster genres of revenge and action and blow everything up. Stories of how real people should emulate and live always have the most internal entertainment value for me. I recommend you take a break from the gore and enjoy Magic Camp.
"Light and amusingly plain but with worthy lessons all children must know"
mackpalma14 September 2020
Just like 'The One and Only Ivan', 'Magic Camp' is all about inspiring children to love their family, friends and their role in a group or even in a society as a greater scope. The fun and enjoyable cast of characters especially the jolly spirit of Adam Devine made the movie worthy to watch on weekend with family.
Enjoyable flick
lisafordeay16 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Magic Camp is a 2018 comedy starring Adam Devine and Jeffrey Tambor and tells the tale of a former magician who helps young kids to become magicians.
The premise is good,the acting is grand and I liked the magic tricks they performed. Music is done by Rolfe Kent(Just Like Heaven,Kate and Leopold) and the movie is directed by Mark Waters(Freaky Friday,Just Like Heaven). If your a fan of Keith Barry or David Blaine then you'll probably enjoy this flick.
The premise is good,the acting is grand and I liked the magic tricks they performed. Music is done by Rolfe Kent(Just Like Heaven,Kate and Leopold) and the movie is directed by Mark Waters(Freaky Friday,Just Like Heaven). If your a fan of Keith Barry or David Blaine then you'll probably enjoy this flick.
"The Institute of Magic"
Kamurai2519 August 2020
Great watch, will watch again, and do recommend.
I saw Adam Devine first (on Disney+ of all places, he's not usually Disney compliant), and said, "Oh this will be good, at least I won't have to pay close attention.", then saw "Magic Camp", and said, "Sold!", knowing I'd have to be watching magic tricks. I'm a fan of magic, but I tend to watch them like I do movies, critically. And when they're in movies ("Now You See Me") what you're actually watching for is what is semi-legitimate and what is a movie magic effect.
While the beginning is a little disappointing, it has to do with the establishing part of the movie. The (obvious) misdirection of it also parallels a magic trick, as does the pace of the movie (and it's directly discussed in the movie.).
Suddenly discovering Jillian Jacobs' involvement was great, and so is she, even if she's a part-time antagonist as a rival counselor.
Basically, for me, there is a better movie / story in here if you remove Adam Devine as the protagonist. The kids' story(ies) are far more satisfying that the adults, and they very much deserved their own movie.
While I see a comparison to "School of Rock", Adam Devine is not Jack Black, and his character doesn't really give the redeemable feel. It might come down to Devine's acting ability, but he's just not likeable. He says and does the things that should make him likeable, but it comes of as disingenuous. He's still a jerk, but he grows to love magic.
Again though, this is highly recommended, and I would have loved to just see their talent show as a recorded live performance.
If you love magic, then give this a watch.
I saw Adam Devine first (on Disney+ of all places, he's not usually Disney compliant), and said, "Oh this will be good, at least I won't have to pay close attention.", then saw "Magic Camp", and said, "Sold!", knowing I'd have to be watching magic tricks. I'm a fan of magic, but I tend to watch them like I do movies, critically. And when they're in movies ("Now You See Me") what you're actually watching for is what is semi-legitimate and what is a movie magic effect.
While the beginning is a little disappointing, it has to do with the establishing part of the movie. The (obvious) misdirection of it also parallels a magic trick, as does the pace of the movie (and it's directly discussed in the movie.).
Suddenly discovering Jillian Jacobs' involvement was great, and so is she, even if she's a part-time antagonist as a rival counselor.
Basically, for me, there is a better movie / story in here if you remove Adam Devine as the protagonist. The kids' story(ies) are far more satisfying that the adults, and they very much deserved their own movie.
While I see a comparison to "School of Rock", Adam Devine is not Jack Black, and his character doesn't really give the redeemable feel. It might come down to Devine's acting ability, but he's just not likeable. He says and does the things that should make him likeable, but it comes of as disingenuous. He's still a jerk, but he grows to love magic.
Again though, this is highly recommended, and I would have loved to just see their talent show as a recorded live performance.
If you love magic, then give this a watch.
Good Clean Family Fun
malhaas-jacobsz12 November 2020
I honestly never watch disney movies, but my wife saw the cover and we both like Adam Devine's films, so we checked it out. Loved it. Good clean fun the whole family can enjoy. Good lessons are taught and it even brought a tear to wifey's eye at the end. Good for something to watch while the kids are still awake.
Adam Devine just like Jack Black
cbs_peaceandlove22 August 2020
Pure Magic - Lots of Fun - Totally Disney quality!
evelynbrooks20 August 2020
Ignore the troll reviews. Delightful film that I enjoyed a lot. Heartwarming moments, great cast, loved the writing and directing. I'm not a kid, but it brought back memories of all the great Disney films I enjoyed growing up. Take a chance, drop your cynical outlook and just enjoy a movie for the whole family to watch together-- something that's not so easy to find.
Fun movie for all
jackneedham-9848415 August 2020
5
Edvis-199715 August 2020
Well... It was family friendly movie with lame Disney plot. On the other hand, what else you can expect? Why it was called "Comedy" I have no clue. The jokes were so outdated and not funny, it didn't make me not even once. Possible to watch but there a way better comedies or family friendly movies so I wouldn't recommend to spend 1h 30min for this.
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