Stagedoor (2006)
Pack your bags for a trip to a Catskills summer camp where the stars of tomorrow go to prepare for their shot at the big time as filmmaker Alexandra Shiva allows viewers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of Stagedoor Manor, the training ground for such notable Hollywood heavyweights as Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Natalie Portman.
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Too much of everything
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
"Stagedoor" is a documentary about Stagedoor Manor, a camp in the Catskills for young people who love to perform or want to make show business a career.These kids are all ages, from middle school to teens; many of them feel like misfits in their schools, lots of them have ADD, about 70% (according to one of the administrators) of the boys are gay. The documentary focuses on five kids and takes us through auditions, acting class, dress rehearsal, and performance -- at the end of the camp, there are 12 productions, plus the 40 most talented go to two hotels and do a cabaret show.It was certainly interesting, but too much was crammed into 1 hour and 19 minutes. While the documentary focused on five kids, it was pretty scattered in parts, and frankly, if they hadn't told us they were focusing on these people, I wouldn't have known it. Also interesting was some insight into the home lives -- the mother who didn't want her boy in Newark during the hot summer, the parents who were pretty sure their daughter didn't have any talent but let her go because she loved it, the young girl with the autistic brother, all fascinating glimpses into what brings a child into concentrating on heightened imagination.I would have loved to have seen more of the actual performing or auditions. There was a lot of footage of kids standing around talking and hugging. And some of it was just high school stuff - the cabaret clique, the forbidden kissing game, a stern lecture from one of the administrators. It's always nice to see young people and their great energy and ambitions before the outside world gets hold of them. And it's great to know there's a place for them to exercise their talent.