“Tiny Fugitives” follows a group of kids who must get past a deranged and relentless 50-year-old counselor while attempting to spend the rest of their lives at sleepaway camp.
It’s like “Good Boys” but for summer camp. Co-writer and director Michael Lewen delivers a story about growing up. In doing so, he follows a genre checklist that prevents “Tiny Fugitives” from blossoming into something greater, but that doesn’t mean it’s not impactful (or entertaining).
Benjamin Pajak’s Jacob is at the center of this. The opening minutes of the film are spent analyzing his life outside of camp — no friends at school, divorced parents — to emphasize how important those two months away from everything are to him. It’s not just him going through the classic coming-of-age journey, though. Lewen and Jacob Kaplan write the individuals as caricatures. Jacob is the pack leader. Aaron Harris’ Charness is his underappreciated best friend. Isa Bernal Steiner’s Tali is the love interest. Jai Soundar’s Leon is the easy-to-pick-on “nerdy” kid. Alyssa Gervasi’s Sophie is the big city girl. The actors themselves play into these stereotypes with confidence, which makes them feel perfectly in place inside the world of Camp Fineman.
Of course, it also features Johnny Knoxville (Bob). Rather than being one-note, Knoxville gets to show off multiple sides to the seemingly “weird” character. He’s over-the-top villainous at times and emotionally vulnerable at others. While his performance easily could have fallen into throwaway quips and one-liners, it actually remains well-rounded.
It’s all of these performances that help ground the movie’s themes amid the shenanigans. On a basic level, it explores adolescence. This includes self-identity, friendships and, most importantly, avoidance. It may seem trivial to examine these topics through 12-year-olds, but somehow… it works. Because each persona contains relatable traits, viewers will likely find themselves connecting with the onscreen personalities. We were all overly vulgar and unhinged kids at some point in our lives — “Tiny Fugitives” capitalizes on this.
“What if we never went home?”
Setting up a Bob versus Jacob scenario, the contrasting character arcs grow clear: neither of them wants to leave camp. For Bob, it’s about staying good at something. For Jacob, it’s about fitting in. Once the film moves past the absurd scenarios, the dramatic beats hit surprisingly hard. Most viewers are likely watching “Tiny Fugitives” for laughs. More often than not, it delivers. Whether it’s pink eye infections, electrocutions, explosions or ATV-versus-zip-line chases, the film contains an abundance of hilarious moments. These often stretch far beyond the realms of reality, leading to turn-your-brain-off fun. Many will find the exaggerated outcomes funny; others may find them eye-roll-inducing.
The cinematography, editing and score work in unison here. Director of photography Andy Rydzewski takes advantage of the forest landscape, alongside cliffs, waterfalls and other landmarks. Close-ups are often implemented during character conversations while the camerawork shifts to handheld as the hijinks unfold. Oona Flaherty’s editing moves the scenes along to the constantly playing beats of Joseph Stephens’ score.
The conclusion of “Tiny Fugitives” plays it safe. It’s a bittersweet “happy ending” that’s entirely predictable, and maybe slightly overlong. Much like the beginning, the film doesn’t close at camp. Because of this, it feels a little out of place despite neatly tying a bow on all of the lingering plot points.
“Tiny Fugitives” is harmless entertainment that contains more heart than you would expect. It promises Johnny Knoxville taking on a group of kids, and that’s exactly what you get.
Rating: 3 out of 5
