This film, despite having traditional, good old fashioned fun at it's very core, is hugely important in terms of indie films of the future. Not only does it rely on downloads for income, it's stars, Grace Helbig (Elise), Mamrie Hart (Maxine) and Hannah Hart (Allison) all spend most of their time being wonderfully funny and talented YouTube comedians. The way everything was produced, distributed, and made- from casting, to vlogging of it's production- marks an exciting future for film.
This excitement is heightened when watching the picture itself. Elise, an aspiring writer, seems to have her future secured with to-be husband Jeff (Chester See, another YouTube sensation), spending all her spare minutes researching honeymoons in Paris. However, a rather awful afternoon flips her surface-perfect life upside down. Her old summer camp is the flip side that she finds herself in, after a drunken night on Facebook with her mobile and all the wrong- or right- numbers by her side. Upon arriving at camp, she finds herself being reunited with old friends Maxine and Allison, who don't seem to have moved from when she last saw them, when they were still lil' tater tots experiencing camp themselves. It is not just old friends that Elise collides with, though- a man in plaid with just the right amount of facial hair, named Eli (Chris Riedell), also happens to sail into her life, and sweetly, realistically awkward encounters ensue. Just when Elise begins to get comfortable (or uncomfortable, in one case) with nature, and settles in with the ways of the camp, the continuation of it's home-made, pinterest-style values are put on the balance, it's future uncertain. Can the dwindling fire of the camp be re-lit? Through trials and tribulations, the highs and low(e)s of friendship, shock phone-calls and sweaty-palmed romances, you find yourself at a satisfying conclusion to this question.
With beautiful cinematography, a pastel-filled colour palette and quirky, playful, mise-en-scene, the film is a visual treat. The screenplay, written by Lydia Genner and Mamrie Hart, provides belly laughs and truly tear-jerking moments. The execution and deliverance of the script is of extreme quality, especially considering it's stars have never appeared in any full length feature films before, with Hannah Hart never having acted before in her life. Mamrie Hart's presence on screen is undeniable; a natural performer, her comedic timing utterly perfect. Warm, charismatic and charming, Hannah Hart offers to the film a performance so rich and sweet that it's slightly impossible not to fall in love with her and her tank-top-bandanna outfit combination. Grace Helbig shows true potential as an actress, her ability to captivate the audience effortless and natural. She has no trouble at all in leading the film, her balance of incorporating subtle character traits, raw emotion, and flowing humour proving to be finely tuned. All of the supporting actors, including the children, give just as fantastic performances, each adding their own wonderful twist to the tale of Camp Takota. Promoting friendship, sticking to what you believe in, and trusting yourself, this production will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside- with just the right mix of jokes, development of character arcs and relationships, and enhancement of a beautiful setting, Takota is a very worthwhile watch.
