Oh dear. This one’s rough. A timid gay man survives a homophobic attack. He signs up for a brutal self-defense course. Comedian Judy Tenuta plays the foul-mouthed camp instructor. She beats and belittles her students to provoke their anger. Butch Camp wants to be a raunchy satire. Abuse, misogyny and sexual assault are played for cartoon laughs. But it can’t commit to a tone. The lead actor plays his trauma honestly and develops an increasing number of bruises as the story continues. The final scenes empower him. But it’s too little to salvage a deeply unpleasant film.
Here’s a spoiler filled recap. Trigger warning for the aforementioned assaults.
Camp-tastrophe
Scene One: Matt’s Bad Day
MATT (A timid nerd): Golly! My roommate ran off with my furniture, my boss yelled at me, and a client sexually harassed me. This day couldn’t get any worse.
(Matt bumps into a Homophobe at the convenience store.)
HOMOPHOBE: You trying to grope me you [CENSORED]?!
MATT: Help!
(The Homophobe chases him into an alley.)
HOMOPHOBE: Suck it you [REDACTED]!
(Matt snags the Homophobes penis in his zipper and escapes.)
Scene Two: Night Club
(Chorus boys dance in skimpy sailor costumes.)
CHORUS BOY: Matt, stop whining. You need to get laid.
MATT: That’s your answer to everything. I found this flyer for a camp that toughens you up.
CHORUS BOY: Butch Camp? Trust me. You do NOT want to go there.
Scene Three: Butch Camp
JUDY TENUTA: All right you [HOMOPHOBIC SLUR]. You wanna survive! Kick me in the [GENITALS].
MATT: What? No.
JUDY TENUTA: Then the straight world will kick you!
(Judy kicks Matt in the genitals, then continues to beat him.)
MATT: Is this satire?
Scene Four: Sports Bar
JUDY TENUTA: Tonight’s assignment. You queens must blend in with the straight fascists.
MATT: Oh my goodness. I couldn’t possibly.
STRAIGHT GUYS: Beer! Sports! Misogyny!
MATT: Beer! Um… Esoteric Sports Trivia?
STRAIGHT GUYS: Who the hell are you?
NICE GUY: You can do better than that. Look, try pool.
MATT: Pool? That’s basically math. I get math.
(Matt wins a game of pool.)
HORNY BLONDE: That nerd is hot.
Scene Five: Matt’s Apartment
(Matt steps out of the shower in a towel.)
HORNY BLONDE: Knock knock. Remember me? My name is Janet Cockswell.
MATT: So, you’re basically a James Bond villain?
HORNY BLONDE: Let’s skip the small talk.
(Horny Blonde sexually assaults Matt. It’s staged like slapstick comedy.)
Scene Six: Night Club
MATT: THAT WAS HORRIFYING! Was this considered funny in the 90’s?
CHORUS BOY: Apparently not. This film bombed.
MATT: She’s dating Nice Guy! What am I gonna tell him?
Scene Seven: Date Night
NICE GUY: I heard you had consensual sex with my girlfriend.
MATT: Nope.
NICE GUY: I like you. It’s confusing. Let’s hang out.
MUGGER: Give me your wallets and your clothes!
(Matt and Nice Guy strip. The Mugger runs off with their things.)
MATT: Eye candy. Maybe this film isn’t so bad.
NICE GUY: We should go to your apartment and have sex. I mean get dressed.
Scene Eight: Fighting Back
BANK BOSS: You were rude to our top Client! You’re fired!
MATT: The Client is a thief and I can prove it.
(Bank Boss goes out in drag and gets attacked by the Homophobe.)
MATT: Get away from them you [SLUR].
JUDY TENUTA FLASHBACK: Go for the eyes and the groin!
(Matt punches the Homophobe in the eyes and the groin. Then shoves him into a puddle.)
BANK BOSS: You saved me. And you were right about the client. You’re promoted.
Scene Nine: Graduation
JUDY TENUTA: Congratulations to our top student for eliminating a heterosexual terrorist!
NICE GUY: Matt you’re wonderful. Let’s go dancing!
(Montage: Nice Guy and Matt go dancing. Then go home and make love. Then march in a Pride Parade.)
MATT: I guess I’m happy now and not traumatized by the events of this film?
THE END
Cool Satire, Bro
Well, it’s no Bottoms. The 2023 comedy saw a pair of lesbian teens start a fight club in their school. The club empowered its members to fight back against a murderous football team. The film was fast and funny. It was over before I had time to overthink the premise. Butch Camp moves slowly. It never finds its groove. The 1990’s saw an explosion in independent queer cinema. Queer artists were telling new stories free of Hollywood tropes and censorship. But they aren’t all gems.
You can watch Butch Camp on TUBI. You can find more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.