Chaos in Camp Cucamonga

Of course, some producers just had to make a movie where all the child stars could gather and congregate. Well, they managed to rope in Candace Cameron (DJ Tanner, "Full House"), Danica McKellar (Winnie, "The Wonder Years"), Jaleel White (Urkel-need I say more?), and Josh Saviano (Paul, "The Wonder Years), whom I might add wallowed in his infatuation with Danica's character the whole movie...isn't this just because the producers knew them from "The Wonder Years" and decided to pair them up? Wouldn't Kevin Arnold be jealous? It was different seeing Winnie be bad, Urkel have 20-20 vision, DJ be a brat, Paul be not so different. Of course, I can't not mention Ava, or as we all know her, Rachel Green. Yes, Ava was played by a then-unknown Jennifer Aniston. Not her worst performance, as the same for everyone. Now, most have them have retreated into child star post-sitcom fade, having all been scraped to the "Where Are They Now?" dustpan, but it's better that they faded for the most part, rather than having to create another summer camp haven for them.

I saw this when it originally aired back in 1990. I caught a glimpse of it in 99', and have been trying to get a copy of it on ebay ever since. I finally did, and my expectations were met. I loved this movie, despite its cheese factor. It was from the 80's, pretty much, so all of its nuances and idiosyncrasies were to be expected. The movie was genuine, at least. The cliched storylines were a very prominent thing in youth television around this time, especially on NBC (see saved by the bell and California Dreams), so that didn't bother me. Besides, I felt the movie mixed it up enough that I was throroughly entertained despite its predictability. Some of the great moments of the movie in my eyes were Max burning the steak, Urkel macking to that girl the whole movie, the rap (of course), the softball game, and the twist at the end where winnie goes for the kid from 'my two dads'. (I take it for what its worth, sue me). Also, this movie was a testament to just how talented the kid who played Urkel really was. He was the only character in the movie who had to completely change up his normal TV role, which he did successfully, plus he commanded the movie's most instrumental segment, the rap. I always thought about how lucky Jaleel White's parents must have felt, that they were the parents of the goose that laid the golden egg who was paying dividends at like age 10. Back to the movie, the music rocked too. C'mon, the opening bus scene, and than the rap, it was pretty damn good for a TV movie. Nowadays the movie itself seems like a demonic high school reunion of sorts for B teen celebs from back in the day. Weird...but it hits the spot everytime. It doesn't get much better than this, minus the slow moving and unstimulating scenes with sherman helmsley. Its got my vote, but as you may have guessed, I'm a sucker for nostalgia.

I'm probably the only one in Sweden who has seen this, although I bought it on a British VHS PAL copy actually. I think I found out about it when I searched for Jennifer Aniston movies on Imdb. I always look for funny, low budget camp movies and this one, I have to say, is the best one I've seen yet. Or maybe second after "Meatballs".

Anyway, horrible clothes, bad lines, bad acting, embarrassing music, famous actors before they got famous, what more could you look for in a camp movie!?

The big plus for this flick is that Jennifer Aniston is in it, looking very cute. Unfortunately she has a very boring part, being the polite daughter of the camp owner. And Danica McKellar and Josh Saviano took some time off from "Wonder Years" to star as the, dare I say, main characters of the movie. Danica is some sort of a tough girl who is somewhat weak below the surface, and Josh is trying to date her. He is very much like Paul Pfeiffer in the Wonder Years here, only more energetic. Also, watch for Breckin Meyer and Jaleel White (who raps brilliantly in the Cucamonga video!).

The Danica and Josh "romance" (she isn't interested in him at all) is one of the main stories in the movie. A second one is where the camp is visited by a camp supervisor and a caretaker, and the camp owner mixes them up. Then there is a minor fling between Jennifer and one of the male camp leaders, and this story could have been developed more. But then again, Danica, Josh and Jaleel were probably bigger stars then than Jennifer so I can partly understand the filmmakers move.

Altogether this is a fun and lighthearted movie who mixes comedy and drama perfectly. It doesn't try to be something it isn't. Watch it if you get the chance! I also understand it is something of a nostalgia trip for some people in the States, however I am a little too young for it and grew up on the wrong side of the world. I don't think that this film has been released on DVD and I don't believe it's ever going to be screened on European television, so if you want to see it, and you don't live in the States, you will have to go through the same procedure I did.

This movie is my greatest childhood movie memory!! I loved the whole movie, my brother recorded it for me and i watched it over a 100 times!! But then tragedy happened, my brother had to find a tape to record his fave tv show. Yea you all know where this is going!! He TAPED OVER MY MOST FAVORITE MOVIE IN THE WORLD!! You can imagine how upset I was when I turned on my Fave movie for the umpteenth time and there was (i dont remember the show) but it wasnt Camp Cuckamunga!! SO i am so happy it is on DVD now to buy!! Whoever says this movie isnt good SUCKS!! I would recommend this movie anyone who is 18-26 cause those are the people who will appreciate it more!

This is a made-for-TV movie from a delicious time period. NBC was putting their TV series' stars, mostly the teens, into fluffy TV movies sharing audiences and marketing costs (same concept as "Hope & Faith" being and "Regis & Kelly"). I encourage everyone to seek these out, though some (like CLASS CRUISE starring Billy Warlock) have simply disappeared. The best, in my opinion, are DANCE 'TIL DAWN and CAMP CUCAMONGA (both now available on DVD). Where else can you see Candace Cameron, Chad Allen, Jennifer Aniston, Jaleel White (Steve Urkel to those in the know), Paul from "The Wonder Years", Winnie from "The Wonder Years", Eric from "Head of the Class", and Sherman Hemsley all in the same place? Inarguably the most memorable moment is the fantastic rap video performed by the kids, "Camp Cucamonga is the place that's hip!"