The Floaters: Co-Starring Steve Guttenberg

The sad truth is a Jewish summer camp like Camp Daveed probably requires armed guards today. Happily, their campers will retain their innocence throughout this movie, except in the ways of conventional summer camp teen comedies. Frankly, the hormonally-charged kids really are not even that randy in Rachel Israel’s The Floaters, which opens today in theaters.

Given the director’s name, the mayor of New York will probably boycott this film out of kneejerk hatred. Yet, if anything, it reminds viewers that Jewish Americans are not monolithic in their thinking. Indeed, one Mara’s thankless tasks as camp director is reining in her wildly progressive educational director, who always wants to “ask the tough questions about Israel.” Even more challengingly, she just learned she needs to replace the camp’s septic tank.

Thanks to some of the camp’s Hellions, she also just lost a counselor before they even arrived at camp. At least that one is easy to fix when her best friend (and former fellow camper) Nomi gets dumped by her band, right before they were to leave on tour. Nomi has mixed feelings about Camp Daveed, but she lacks any better options, so she is fittingly assigned the “Floaters.” They are the problem kids who refuse to sign up for activities.

Basically, Nomi must babysit them in the lodge, until Mara agrees to a multi-event contest with their better funded rivals, Camp Barak. She needs the prize money to cover the septic tank, so that means Nomi must produce some sort of stage show with the Floaters.

Yes, the kids are putting on a show—yet again. Indeed, nobody will dismiss this film as excessively avant-garde. However, there are some nice moments along the way. The awkward courtship between Floaters Jonah and Lyndsey nicely encapsulates the divide between secular non-religious Jews embarrassed by “excessive Jewishness” and those who embrace their history, culture, and tradition. While sullen Jonah must attend, because it is his cringy father’s idea of networking, Lyndsey actually loves the camp. Unfortunately, she has been shunned by her friends, due to a misunderstanding the previous year. In a line that will resonate for many viewers, she tells Jonah: “you don’t want to be Jewish, that’s fine, but maybe you should try workshopping an identity that isn’t centered on [an expression for disrespecting] other people.”

This is a generally pleasant little film, featuring some colorful supporting performances. Without question, the funniest work comes from Steve Guttenberg as Camp Daveed’s guru counselor, Manny. Jackie Tohn is probably the second funniest. As Nomi, Tohn also assumes the role of screw-up-turned-mentor in an appealingly down-to-earth way. Judah Lewis and Nina Bloomgarden also nicely express their characters’ identity debate as well as their halting attraction. However, the other Floaters are mostly shticky stock figures.

The Floaters has almost none of the late-night cable humor of vintage 1980s summer camp movies, but it still feels nostalgic. These kids deserve a place to socialize and find themselves, so it is nice to see places like Camp Daveed get the credit they deserve. It is a small film that is far from essential viewing, but it is pleasantly amusing. Recommended for fans of coming-of-age comedies, The Floaters opens today (6/10) in New York, at the Quad.