This film is actually not bad. I was entertained. The plot was very different from the usual ones. Good acting. The film makes you think about what kind of programs like "ASAP" exists today. During the film my mind kept thinking about how this kind of abuse is currently going on in the world. It's hard to believe that it's still going on. I would recommend this movie, but don't expect any hard action or fight scenes. It's pretty slow I felt, but yet at the same time you wanted to see what was going to happen next, but not in a suspenseful way. It was just an interesting and different kind of movie. All in all I give this movie a 6 out of 10 stars. Good acting.
65 Reviews
I really don't know what to think of this movie
literacola-112 May 2008
Within the first 15 minutes of the film I was about to turn it off because of the horrible acting, but I just couldn't. I finished the entire thing and there was just something about it that I really enjoyed. The entire story was something that I have never seen in a film before, and nothing was really predictable about it.
Most of the horrible acting came from no name actors. Mila Kunis played her role very well, as did Peter Stormare. There was something really cheesy about the whole "captured and taken to an island" idea, but I really think with some better actors it could have been pulled off much better.
The cinematography was excellent, and the soundtrack was just amazing. The island location was a perfect choice and really added a lot to the film.
I still don't know why I enjoyed it so much, but I would say it is worth a rental to see for yourself.
Most of the horrible acting came from no name actors. Mila Kunis played her role very well, as did Peter Stormare. There was something really cheesy about the whole "captured and taken to an island" idea, but I really think with some better actors it could have been pulled off much better.
The cinematography was excellent, and the soundtrack was just amazing. The island location was a perfect choice and really added a lot to the film.
I still don't know why I enjoyed it so much, but I would say it is worth a rental to see for yourself.
Do the End Justify the Means?
claudio_carvalho30 March 2009
In Denver, the rebel Sophie (Mila Kunis) misses her deceased father and hates her stepfather Karl (Serge Houde), pushing him to the edge. After a serious incident with his guests at home, she is sent to the ASAP Advanced Serenity Achievement Program a correctional facility in Fiji Island leaded by Norman Hail (Peter Stormare), who self-entitles doctor, to be rehabilitated in a socially acceptable pattern of behavior. She finds a concentration camp without human rights that uses abusive military training techniques to brainwash the offenders. Meanwhile her boyfriend Ben (Gregory Smith) forces a situation at home to be sent to the same boot camp and escape with Sophie.
"Boot Camp" explains in the very beginning that is based on a true event; therefore it seems that it really does exist places like the Serenity Camp in the world. The story does not have the intention to discuss whether these boot camps are necessary or not, but to show a specific place directed by an unprepared man with psychological problems that uses torture techniques as if the end could justify the means. A dictatorship with absolute power associated to playing God always generates injustices and corruption and is doomed to fail. The story is entertaining, but some of the teenagers (and parents) depicted in the movie really deserve to be sent to a correctional facility or to a shrink to resolve their issues. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "A Ilha - Uma Prisão Sem Grades" ("The Island A Prison Without Bars")
"Boot Camp" explains in the very beginning that is based on a true event; therefore it seems that it really does exist places like the Serenity Camp in the world. The story does not have the intention to discuss whether these boot camps are necessary or not, but to show a specific place directed by an unprepared man with psychological problems that uses torture techniques as if the end could justify the means. A dictatorship with absolute power associated to playing God always generates injustices and corruption and is doomed to fail. The story is entertaining, but some of the teenagers (and parents) depicted in the movie really deserve to be sent to a correctional facility or to a shrink to resolve their issues. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "A Ilha - Uma Prisão Sem Grades" ("The Island A Prison Without Bars")
Disturbed
tjsmommy91118 August 2011
I rated this movie a 6 due to the content. I truly believe this movie should have been made, and I commend the ones who did. It truly broke my heart, seeing as though it's a true story, making it all the more disturbing. I hope that people that are considering sending their child/teen to a place such as this one. I think all the actors did a pretty good job portraying the characters that the movie is about. I just can't believe that this movie is around 3 years old and I haven't heard of it. It's kind of bothersome to me because this movie truly needs recognition, it needs to be out there for more people to see. Parents and guardians really need to do their homework on these type of places before sending ANYONE they truly care about! Thanks for the movie, I really hope people heed the warning the comes from this film!
Not brilliant but definitely something different....
xxTusharxx24 November 2008
..which is probably the reason enough for one time watch. I liked the movie for its different approach and the questions it raises and forces us to ponder over the issue of such camps as ASAP. If such camps exist, and actually they do, what is their purpose? if the purpose is to "help" the troubled teens, they fail miserably or at least the movie says so. coming to the movie, it was a good film with a lot of potential. maybe better actors may have been able to pull it off much better but nevertheless the movie doesn't disappoint you. my suggestion to those who have not watched this movie is to watch it before forming an opinion over it. believe me its not that bad as some comments here suggest.
Pretty good, some implausibles
bgaiv7 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I liked that the camp leader Hail, played brilliantly by Stormare, is treated fairly by the script. Too often in this sort of movie, this type of character would be a caricature. And this whole boot camp notion doesn't seem that unreasonable. His approach does have merits.
But, the lead boy "Ben" managing to trick his parents into thinking he's a drug addict so he gets sent to the exact same camp is pretty implausible.
The camp rapist Logan is treated TOO fairly imho. He dies in a horrible way, but it feels more like an accident.
Logan shows the insidious problems of Hail's approach. Hail's motivation is honest. It's problematic because it assumes the kids' parents are angels and doesn't allow for the possibility that the kids are getting high because their parents are abusing or even raping them.
And there's the bigger problem of Logan. He's extracting sexual favors from the girls for privileges. When one pushes back, he flat out rapes her.
But, the lead boy "Ben" managing to trick his parents into thinking he's a drug addict so he gets sent to the exact same camp is pretty implausible.
The camp rapist Logan is treated TOO fairly imho. He dies in a horrible way, but it feels more like an accident.
Logan shows the insidious problems of Hail's approach. Hail's motivation is honest. It's problematic because it assumes the kids' parents are angels and doesn't allow for the possibility that the kids are getting high because their parents are abusing or even raping them.
And there's the bigger problem of Logan. He's extracting sexual favors from the girls for privileges. When one pushes back, he flat out rapes her.
Brutal
reddiemurf8129 June 2020
A movie that makes you think
rtkautz22 September 2011
Movies like these don't come around very often. Know I am not saying this movie was incredible because it wasn't. But it is the kinda movie that makes you think about tragedy's that happen in this life.
Basically the plot is easy to follow and easily drags you in. Norman Hail ( Peter Stormare ) runs a camp where parents send there kids to him and he tries to steer them straight. You could tell that this wasn't going to be a normal camp for kids. He uses humiliation as a form of torture. I Mainly loved the movie because of the two main characters Mila Kunis and Gregory Smith. Most torture movies the whole plot is everyone is trying to get out of the place where they are being tortured which is why I loved the movie because that wasn't the case for most of the characters. A lot of the characters were starting to believe in Norman Hails brainwashing method.
There was no ridiculous stupid sex scenes so don't watch it if that's what you are looking for, it was the one of the most realistic psychological torture stories I have probably watched and that says a lot because I have seen tons of movies.
If you are looking for a movie that makes you think about about sadistic stuff that happens in real life then watch this movie. I give it a 6.5 / 10
Basically the plot is easy to follow and easily drags you in. Norman Hail ( Peter Stormare ) runs a camp where parents send there kids to him and he tries to steer them straight. You could tell that this wasn't going to be a normal camp for kids. He uses humiliation as a form of torture. I Mainly loved the movie because of the two main characters Mila Kunis and Gregory Smith. Most torture movies the whole plot is everyone is trying to get out of the place where they are being tortured which is why I loved the movie because that wasn't the case for most of the characters. A lot of the characters were starting to believe in Norman Hails brainwashing method.
There was no ridiculous stupid sex scenes so don't watch it if that's what you are looking for, it was the one of the most realistic psychological torture stories I have probably watched and that says a lot because I have seen tons of movies.
If you are looking for a movie that makes you think about about sadistic stuff that happens in real life then watch this movie. I give it a 6.5 / 10
Glossy and Forgettable
jfgibson7312 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
You may find more than a couple similarities to this movie and The Island of Dr. Moreau. The story is about a behavior modification camp for teens whose parents don't know what else to do. Mila Kunis is the main character through whose point of view we experience the camp. The camp is run by Peter Stormare's character, who has developed a system of organization for running the camp, as well as a "process" through which he breaks the children down and reteaches them to behave in a socially acceptable way. Except that we see cracks in the system that suggest it may not be working. In addition, there are people at the camp abusing their power and taking advantage of kids who must behave submissively to gain privileges and eventually be released.
I think if I wanted to know more about these behavior camps, I would watch a documentary instead of a work of fiction. Boot Camp was pretty much what I expected--the kids are treated terribly until the system eventually breaks down and the "mad doctor" is overthrown. It does get you thinking a little bit about what kinds of treatment might be appropriate for out of control teens, but this film won't try to answer that. It is basically another riff on the "absolute power corrupts absolutely" tip. If I had to single out one performance, I thought the girl who played Trina had a truly desperate look about her. Overall, it isn't one I will remember much about.
I think if I wanted to know more about these behavior camps, I would watch a documentary instead of a work of fiction. Boot Camp was pretty much what I expected--the kids are treated terribly until the system eventually breaks down and the "mad doctor" is overthrown. It does get you thinking a little bit about what kinds of treatment might be appropriate for out of control teens, but this film won't try to answer that. It is basically another riff on the "absolute power corrupts absolutely" tip. If I had to single out one performance, I thought the girl who played Trina had a truly desperate look about her. Overall, it isn't one I will remember much about.
Next week, we're taking a look at laces
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews28 February 2011
Supposedly based on real events, this is about teenagers being sent away to camps to be disciplined. We follow a couple who go there and seek to escape. The characters aren't bad, and this is psychologically credible all the way. Unfortunately, the acting tends to be pretty... "meh". Even Stormare, if he does have his moments, struggles. Smith delivers the best performance(someone give this man more roles, seriously). Kunis is OK, as usual. This has some stylization to portions of it, without it getting to be flashy. This is directed(by the guy who did the pretty good Human Trafficking mini-series, and the utterly biased Hitler bio-pic), shot and edited well. It's genuinely effective at times, with a fairly good pace and a relatively satisfying climax. The tension reaches nice high levels at times, and this is exciting here and there. It is a bit predictable. The exploration of how some of the people leading the spot have become corrupted by their power and what these kinds of extreme conditions do to even normal human beings are convincing, if not news to people who look into this stuff even casually. This suffers from there not being much memorable to it other than this, and, frankly, I feel it would have been a more compelling documentary. There is a lot of disturbing content and sensuality, and brief nudity in this. The DVD comes with five trailers and nothing else(including scene selection menus)... that's *bare*. I recommend this to fans of Gregory. 6/10
Trash
dbborroughs5 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Spoiled rich kids with drug and behavior problems are sent off to a rehab/boot camp in Fiji. One girl is sent by her parents and her boyfriend gets himself sent there as well. The camp abuses them and they eventually revolt.
True exploitation film is a piece of trash morally. The film clearly states that kids should not be forced to be responsible and that any attempt to bring them into line is wrong. While I think the film is correct to challenge the notions of "tough love" camps like this, many of which have done some good, the fact that the cathartic moment comes when the camp is set on fire and people are killed kind of defeats the purpose. Granted the person is the de facto villain of the piece, but it is kind of bankrupt morally. I wouldn't have minded the death and destruction if the filmmakers hadn't taken such a high moral ground.
I also don't like that these are not your average everyday kids, they are rich little twits since who else could afford to send their kids to an island on the other side of the world (this also weakens the filmmakers argument since the camp clearly doesn't represent all camps like this). I know I shouldn't have gotten upset since its only a trash movie but the filmmakers seem to want to do more than exploit their audience, they want to educate, which I don't think the film does. Then again I'm not the audience for this film, which is the age group of the kids sent off to camp itself.
In its favor its well acted and beautiful to look at. Unless you're young enough to be sent to a camp like this I'd take a pass.
True exploitation film is a piece of trash morally. The film clearly states that kids should not be forced to be responsible and that any attempt to bring them into line is wrong. While I think the film is correct to challenge the notions of "tough love" camps like this, many of which have done some good, the fact that the cathartic moment comes when the camp is set on fire and people are killed kind of defeats the purpose. Granted the person is the de facto villain of the piece, but it is kind of bankrupt morally. I wouldn't have minded the death and destruction if the filmmakers hadn't taken such a high moral ground.
I also don't like that these are not your average everyday kids, they are rich little twits since who else could afford to send their kids to an island on the other side of the world (this also weakens the filmmakers argument since the camp clearly doesn't represent all camps like this). I know I shouldn't have gotten upset since its only a trash movie but the filmmakers seem to want to do more than exploit their audience, they want to educate, which I don't think the film does. Then again I'm not the audience for this film, which is the age group of the kids sent off to camp itself.
In its favor its well acted and beautiful to look at. Unless you're young enough to be sent to a camp like this I'd take a pass.
Overall Better Than Expected...to the guy who says the kids are all spoiled...
benromansky22 June 2010
Mila Kunis and her boyfriend played great roles, and the foreign guy played a good self- righteous "doctor" with a god complex. As someone who went to one of these places, New Dominion in Maryland - I take offense to the reviewer who says these places are for "spoiled kids". Guess what, the one I went to was 95 percent sentenced juvenile offenders, and I was one of the lucky "spoiled kids". My crime - nothing - I have no criminal record. The one I went to wasn't as "Lord of the Flies" like, but there was physical abuse, and sexual abuse that they covered up but definitely existed. There are no regulation on these places. To say people deserve it is messed up. I still suffer PTSD from being at the one I went to, probably the result of being body slammed for speaking my mind and being mentally tortured on a 24/7 basis. It's also nice to have to work chipping at rocks to get your food and to get a grade A concussion and be told to "walk it off". Anyway I'm now graduated from college with honors, but these sick places still exist. I will never forget being told by the juvenile offenders there that they'd rather be back in prison.
"Camp Beat Me More"
Kamurai251 July 2021
Decent watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend.
Since it's basically a child prison camp outside the per view of the United States, there are lots of angles to this one.
There are coming of age stories, there is the prisoner aspect of it: guilt, guards vs prisoners, prisoners vs prisoners, and just general psychology of traumatized people.
I know that makes it sound REAL interesting /s, but if you like movies you can think out, especially for the characters, then this is a real good watch.
For everyone else, it's still good, but it's a unique prison movie, so it comes with all that entails: abusive guards, warden with a god complex, and infighting like cuttlefish.
Since it's basically a child prison camp outside the per view of the United States, there are lots of angles to this one.
There are coming of age stories, there is the prisoner aspect of it: guilt, guards vs prisoners, prisoners vs prisoners, and just general psychology of traumatized people.
I know that makes it sound REAL interesting /s, but if you like movies you can think out, especially for the characters, then this is a real good watch.
For everyone else, it's still good, but it's a unique prison movie, so it comes with all that entails: abusive guards, warden with a god complex, and infighting like cuttlefish.
People being hit with sticks.
c-conley9021 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Oh, brother, it's the direct-to-video crap called Boot Camp from mediocre director Christian Dugay. Supposedly based on a true story, yeah right. Mila Kunis is one of the many kids taken from their homes by two thugs hired by their parents for a tough love camp, yes, literally these guys are not suspiciously criminal at all. After that, she is taken to some island and put in some prison camp with Peter Stormare running the joint with his self-help crap speeches. Which occur a lot in the movie. Her boyfriend fakes his way into the program to get on the island and they end up almost escape to a hotel on some other island, but then being captured again. How the hell are the police not on these idiots, their going into hotels and dragging out kids back to their prison death camp. Isn't this suppose to be based on a true story? What is true about thugs taking kids out of hotels and the police or nobody not noticing or how Peter Stormare is getting away with any of this? It's way too obvious, I mean even the taking of kids from their homes is kind of easily explainable away to people. But when it isn't following any kind of truth or reality the movie is scenes of teenagers on the island abusing each other typical stuff, rape, beatings with sticks, and pushing people in mud. Truly, in one scene Stormare holds some ceremony to have one of the teenagers admit to their problems and have therapy and when they don't the other older mean teenager "counselors" tease them and then start hitting them with sticks? This movie isn't at all good, it bores me to tears, the only thing going for it is Peter Stormare and Mila Kunis. Otherwise the movie stinks to high heaven. And it is far from the truth on tough love camps, and keep in mind I don't even know, but I know it's probably most likely not like this movie at all.
Very True Stuff
mmhphx20 May 2010
For those of you that think programs like this don't exist, you are very wrong! I spent 10 months in Spring Creek Lodge in Montana, which was actually very nice compared to other programs that are, like Spring Creek, affiliated with WWASP (World Wide Association of Specialty Programs). Look it up!! There are so many documented abuses in their facilities outside of the U.S. (Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica, Somoa). Most of them have been shut down, but they are still out there!! When I was at Spring Creek in Montana, there was an incident at Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica....very similar to what happens in this movie. The kids rioted and took the place over, setting fires and having sex. A lot of them ran off into the wilderness. Most were located and sent to other programs like mine in Montana. Also, look into the High Impact program that was shut down in Tecate, Mexico. This stuff does exist, and it's devastating! And good parents are deceived every day by their very false advertising! And they do come and kidnap you in the night, just like in the film.....messed up stuff.
The revolt of the overindulgent
sol-kay22 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** Made to straighten out spoiled and uncontrollable teenagers Camp Serenity in the far off Fiji Islands has been turned into a modern day WWII German or Japanese POW camp with the well meaning but somewhat unstable Dr. Norman Hill,Peter Stormare, as it commandant. Taking out of control teenagers off their parents and guardians hands Dr. Hill uses a new form of tough love as well as torture and humiliation to get the youths back in line and back to civility. The trouble is that Dr. Hill's methods don't always work and somethings leads to the people he's trying to cure to end up dead.
It's when Ben, Gregory Smith, faked his way into Camp Serenity by posing as a heroin addict that things really started to get out of hand there. With his girlfriend Sophie, Mila Kunis, incarcerated at the camp for treatment for her anti-social behavior Ben decided to crash the place by getting incarcerated there himself. It didn't take long for Dr. Hill to realize Ben's plan but let him and Sophie make their badly planned and almost suicidal escape only to have them again taken into custody by his goons. Dr. Hill then had the two brutally worked over with each spending time in the hole,solitary confinement, for their acts of insubordination.
The main reason for Dr. Hill's fall from grace, with his colleagues in youth rehabilitation, was the sleazy and uncalled for actions of his top honcho at Camp Serenity US Army deserter and, possibly, convicted felon Logan, Tygh Ruyan. Logan despite being very effective in keeping things at Camp Serenity going smooth as silk is also a bit of a sicko when it comes to the many women imprisoned there.
It's Logan's shaking down of young Trina, Regine Nehy, to have sex with him in order to get her a white shirt, making Trina eligible to leave that God forsaken place, that in the end came back to haunt him with a vengeance. It was also Logan's responsibility in the deeply disturbed Danny's, Christopher Jacot, drowning death that just about had Dr. Hill who was covering up for Logan, in his having his way with the women prisoners, to chew him out and almost can him. It was after verbally putting Logan in his place that Dr.Hill put him through the same torture and humiliation that Logan put the teenage prisoners through something leading to their death or suicide.
Having just about enough of Dr. Hill and his tough love tactics his sister ,also a doctor at Camp Serenity, Dr.Ronda Hill, Barbara Gates Wilson, pulled the rug under him. Ronda emptied her terrified brother's gun so he couldn't shoot the rampaging and revolting teenagers as they forcibly took control of Camp Serenity and came crashing into his bunker-like office.
You couldn't really dislike Dr. Hill in that his heart seemed to be in the right place in trying to help those-the teenagers- under his care. Dr. Hill seemed genuinely concerned in helping those young people who even their parents gave up on and discarded like a pet that can't help tearing up the upholstery and be house broken. It was just that Dr. Hill's enormous ego and sense of infallibility got in his way and eventually ended up leading to his sorry and humiliating downfall.
It's when Ben, Gregory Smith, faked his way into Camp Serenity by posing as a heroin addict that things really started to get out of hand there. With his girlfriend Sophie, Mila Kunis, incarcerated at the camp for treatment for her anti-social behavior Ben decided to crash the place by getting incarcerated there himself. It didn't take long for Dr. Hill to realize Ben's plan but let him and Sophie make their badly planned and almost suicidal escape only to have them again taken into custody by his goons. Dr. Hill then had the two brutally worked over with each spending time in the hole,solitary confinement, for their acts of insubordination.
The main reason for Dr. Hill's fall from grace, with his colleagues in youth rehabilitation, was the sleazy and uncalled for actions of his top honcho at Camp Serenity US Army deserter and, possibly, convicted felon Logan, Tygh Ruyan. Logan despite being very effective in keeping things at Camp Serenity going smooth as silk is also a bit of a sicko when it comes to the many women imprisoned there.
It's Logan's shaking down of young Trina, Regine Nehy, to have sex with him in order to get her a white shirt, making Trina eligible to leave that God forsaken place, that in the end came back to haunt him with a vengeance. It was also Logan's responsibility in the deeply disturbed Danny's, Christopher Jacot, drowning death that just about had Dr. Hill who was covering up for Logan, in his having his way with the women prisoners, to chew him out and almost can him. It was after verbally putting Logan in his place that Dr.Hill put him through the same torture and humiliation that Logan put the teenage prisoners through something leading to their death or suicide.
Having just about enough of Dr. Hill and his tough love tactics his sister ,also a doctor at Camp Serenity, Dr.Ronda Hill, Barbara Gates Wilson, pulled the rug under him. Ronda emptied her terrified brother's gun so he couldn't shoot the rampaging and revolting teenagers as they forcibly took control of Camp Serenity and came crashing into his bunker-like office.
You couldn't really dislike Dr. Hill in that his heart seemed to be in the right place in trying to help those-the teenagers- under his care. Dr. Hill seemed genuinely concerned in helping those young people who even their parents gave up on and discarded like a pet that can't help tearing up the upholstery and be house broken. It was just that Dr. Hill's enormous ego and sense of infallibility got in his way and eventually ended up leading to his sorry and humiliating downfall.
What's all the fuss about ?
wvisser-leusden29 August 2009
A 'boot camp', as shown in this film, makes a convenient place wealthy parents can send their out-of-control teenage children to. I didn't know they existed in this form, but can imagine very well why.
When it comes to the pictured camp-life, I don't see much difference with a regular army place. Just like millions of soldiers in past and present, these teenagers are taught how to obtain goals by close cooperation under tough conditions.
And yes, just like everywhere else, you have the good and the bad ones. Inevitably bringing in some crime & casualties.
Although getting a little melodramatic at times, 'Boot Camp' makes a good watch. Different from this film's message, however, I see no reason to condemn institutes like these. No doubt the majority of its inhabitants will get out better prepared for life than they were when they arrived.
When it comes to the pictured camp-life, I don't see much difference with a regular army place. Just like millions of soldiers in past and present, these teenagers are taught how to obtain goals by close cooperation under tough conditions.
And yes, just like everywhere else, you have the good and the bad ones. Inevitably bringing in some crime & casualties.
Although getting a little melodramatic at times, 'Boot Camp' makes a good watch. Different from this film's message, however, I see no reason to condemn institutes like these. No doubt the majority of its inhabitants will get out better prepared for life than they were when they arrived.
real events in Hollywood style
trashgang6 April 2009
In the seventies boot camps were the real stuff in the US. Nobody watched what happened in those camps, and several persons really died in those camps. This is one of those stories. To promote this film the said that it was more frightening than Adrift and more horrible then Battle Royale. well, those to movies are independent and are better than Boot Camp. As always in Hollywood there has to be some romance in it and that just doesn't work for me. It is never fearful or there isn't any suspense, it isn't even bloody, the roughest thing is a blue eye. But I gave it a 5 because the effects they used in the cutting. It could have been all better if it was more in the style of Battle Royale.
Engrossing Thriller
noho6020 December 2011
Bootcamp is an effective film with an engaging plot, made all the more convincing by the fact that similar events have happened and might still be happening to this day. Its weak elements, such as the occasional amateurish acting by several minor characters, and an overall Hollywood feel that takes away from some of the grit and realism, is overpowered by convincing performances by Kunis and Smith. Their characters are multi-dimensional and get peeled away like an onion as the film progresses. The plot is both unsettling, yet unpredictable. The cinematography captures both the beauty of the island location and the starkness of the characters' plight. Finally, Bootcamp questions us as to whether we really know what's best for our children or not.
Great idea, dumbed down to the level of a Clearisil commercial
bob_meg21 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I realize that Tough Love camps are real and that real tragedies occurred in them. Any unregulated institution is pretty much untenable. I was intrigued when I heard about this film, because the dramatic possibilities could have been really interesting.
Instead, all "Boot Camp" gives us is a boy-and-girl in love against the "bad guys" and parents who "just don't understand." The characters are very superficial and all the drama is romanticized. The rest is crib-noted from "Lord of the Flies" and not interesting or suspenseful in the least.
If you DON'T think this movie has been manufactured by a bunch of Hollywood-types to pander to teen focus groups, think about the absolute absurdity of a teenage boy flying to Fiji with a pretend Heroin habit just so he can save his snotty and unappealing girlfriend who even HE doesn't appear to like in the first minutes of the film. How many people had that happen to them? Wait, not all at once. Come on...this isn't screen writing folks, it's fill-in-the-blanks MadLibs. It's the same crap they churn out over and over with a "based on true events" spin to try and originalize it.
Aside from the miserable script, the acting is wretched. Mila Kunis once more pulls her lazy "I'll make a sullen face and say something smart-ass and maybe that will pass for emoting" stunt. Peter Stormare could not be more miscast as the "villainous" camp leader...he seems to have escaped from some grade C Bond film knockoff...I know he has that accent but...it's a bit much in this already stereotypical Nazi-esque role. The Tiger Beat lead boy was so boring that I can't be bothered to look up his name.
I just don't like manipulative films. Any film that inserts the now standard MTV-blast of mind-deadening bubble-gum slop along with the ADD sped-up camera montage to introduce a "moment of revelation" (HERE'S WHERE I SAVE MY GIRLFRIEND!) should be required to self-destruct by now. This was old when it first was popularized and beat into the ground with "Romeo + Juliet." Does any director still do this intentionally?
If this is just a popcorn movie...fine. I have nothing against them. Just don't try to pass them off as some relevant social statement.
Instead, all "Boot Camp" gives us is a boy-and-girl in love against the "bad guys" and parents who "just don't understand." The characters are very superficial and all the drama is romanticized. The rest is crib-noted from "Lord of the Flies" and not interesting or suspenseful in the least.
If you DON'T think this movie has been manufactured by a bunch of Hollywood-types to pander to teen focus groups, think about the absolute absurdity of a teenage boy flying to Fiji with a pretend Heroin habit just so he can save his snotty and unappealing girlfriend who even HE doesn't appear to like in the first minutes of the film. How many people had that happen to them? Wait, not all at once. Come on...this isn't screen writing folks, it's fill-in-the-blanks MadLibs. It's the same crap they churn out over and over with a "based on true events" spin to try and originalize it.
Aside from the miserable script, the acting is wretched. Mila Kunis once more pulls her lazy "I'll make a sullen face and say something smart-ass and maybe that will pass for emoting" stunt. Peter Stormare could not be more miscast as the "villainous" camp leader...he seems to have escaped from some grade C Bond film knockoff...I know he has that accent but...it's a bit much in this already stereotypical Nazi-esque role. The Tiger Beat lead boy was so boring that I can't be bothered to look up his name.
I just don't like manipulative films. Any film that inserts the now standard MTV-blast of mind-deadening bubble-gum slop along with the ADD sped-up camera montage to introduce a "moment of revelation" (HERE'S WHERE I SAVE MY GIRLFRIEND!) should be required to self-destruct by now. This was old when it first was popularized and beat into the ground with "Romeo + Juliet." Does any director still do this intentionally?
If this is just a popcorn movie...fine. I have nothing against them. Just don't try to pass them off as some relevant social statement.
This is the comment I came here to make
Gmcnulty-127 September 2009
Whoever wrote this script definitely had some inside info!
I thought the bogus diploma mill diploma was a direct reference to Miller Newton and/or Dean Vause www.the straights.com/ people/ medical-doctors/ newton/ newton-credentials. (the usual ending for a web page*)
But it was also unrealistic in that the kids were free to speak to one another, even the two main characters who were a couple on the outside. Neeeever happen in real life! And they could do things like walk on over and take a shower after the rape and talk to another detainee in private about it? Not so likely!
But then I don't think the general public would be able to wrap their minds around a true-to-life telling of the story. That was my thought about Over The GW. Great movie for program vets to watch with friends and loved ones who want a better understanding, but probably little general appeal.
So I'm glad they did it this way. I can easily imagine someone watching Boot Camp then calling up a friend who may have been through something like this and saying "Holy s**t, was it like that?" So it's good, entertaining drama with real educational potential. Hmm, I think I'll post this to IMDb.
But after reading a few other comments I just have to add some thoughts...
To jade angel: You say "now i'm not well educated in the field of psychology, so my lack of a PhD may lead you to disregard the last statement. oh well."
Well don't let it bother you. Check out my reference to Dean Vause. Vause may well be Missed Opportunity's employer and object of worship.
I think your observations and comments are spot on! However, I would not recommend that anyone send any kid, however ill-behaved, to a boot camp. I would suggest, instead, finding a relative who is willing to take the kid on. There are very few trained professionals in the troubled parent industry and those who are there are only there to make the regulators happy. They have no real sway in what goes on. Most quit in short order unless they fall prey to the group-think and throw over their training for program philosophy. So your relatives are at least as well qualified, less likely to be sadistic lunatics and more likely to give a damn about the kid long term just because she's blood family.
Here's why...
To (reads as a misspelling*) from Netherlands: You say "Different from this film's message, however, I see no reason to condemn institutes like these. No doubt the majority of its inhabitants will get out better prepared for life than they were when they arrived. "
Please allow me to introduce some reason to condemn these institutes and to introduce some well reasoned doubt into your mind. Just visit (the site referenced by tony above*) That forum goes back almost 9 years. The majority of posters there are program veterans (some say survivors). Judge for yourself how better prepared for life we are; those of us who have survived the program to begin with and successfully fought off suicidal episodes in the intervening years.
To Missed Opportunity: Oh.... what's the point. You're unlikely to listen to reason unless and until you and your wife can pull yourself out of the cult.
To james7344: Look out! Missed Opportunity may make frequent and sudden stops and there is a serious risk that you'll slip right up in there!
*the spelling Nazi bot is driving me crazy!
I thought the bogus diploma mill diploma was a direct reference to Miller Newton and/or Dean Vause www.the straights.com/ people/ medical-doctors/ newton/ newton-credentials. (the usual ending for a web page*)
But it was also unrealistic in that the kids were free to speak to one another, even the two main characters who were a couple on the outside. Neeeever happen in real life! And they could do things like walk on over and take a shower after the rape and talk to another detainee in private about it? Not so likely!
But then I don't think the general public would be able to wrap their minds around a true-to-life telling of the story. That was my thought about Over The GW. Great movie for program vets to watch with friends and loved ones who want a better understanding, but probably little general appeal.
So I'm glad they did it this way. I can easily imagine someone watching Boot Camp then calling up a friend who may have been through something like this and saying "Holy s**t, was it like that?" So it's good, entertaining drama with real educational potential. Hmm, I think I'll post this to IMDb.
But after reading a few other comments I just have to add some thoughts...
To jade angel: You say "now i'm not well educated in the field of psychology, so my lack of a PhD may lead you to disregard the last statement. oh well."
Well don't let it bother you. Check out my reference to Dean Vause. Vause may well be Missed Opportunity's employer and object of worship.
I think your observations and comments are spot on! However, I would not recommend that anyone send any kid, however ill-behaved, to a boot camp. I would suggest, instead, finding a relative who is willing to take the kid on. There are very few trained professionals in the troubled parent industry and those who are there are only there to make the regulators happy. They have no real sway in what goes on. Most quit in short order unless they fall prey to the group-think and throw over their training for program philosophy. So your relatives are at least as well qualified, less likely to be sadistic lunatics and more likely to give a damn about the kid long term just because she's blood family.
Here's why...
To (reads as a misspelling*) from Netherlands: You say "Different from this film's message, however, I see no reason to condemn institutes like these. No doubt the majority of its inhabitants will get out better prepared for life than they were when they arrived. "
Please allow me to introduce some reason to condemn these institutes and to introduce some well reasoned doubt into your mind. Just visit (the site referenced by tony above*) That forum goes back almost 9 years. The majority of posters there are program veterans (some say survivors). Judge for yourself how better prepared for life we are; those of us who have survived the program to begin with and successfully fought off suicidal episodes in the intervening years.
To Missed Opportunity: Oh.... what's the point. You're unlikely to listen to reason unless and until you and your wife can pull yourself out of the cult.
To james7344: Look out! Missed Opportunity may make frequent and sudden stops and there is a serious risk that you'll slip right up in there!
*the spelling Nazi bot is driving me crazy!
Are We Supposed To Sympathize With These Awful Kids?
Bill35728 December 2009
Sorry, but from what I've seen of these little turd-muffins, they're getting exactly what they deserve!
Yeah, I know - I'm a fascist. But these people (especially the main character) are obnoxious creeps!
The film's target audience of fourteen-year-olds might not realize it, but making sexual abuse allegations against someone simply because they "cramp your style" is a nasty, vicious thing to do. She then has the nerve to say she's stuck in that hellhole because "she lied"!
If the girl's stepfather were smart, he would have sued the girl for defamation of character and took her trust-fund!
It's sad to see that even after their ordeal at the hands of the hippie-dippie, new age doctor and his jack-booted thugs, that each of these spoiled-rotten brats retained every single bit of the unfounded self-righteousness and selfishness they came in with!
I hate youth culture. Someone, please bomb the Island.
Exterminate the brutes ...the horror... the horror...
Yeah, I know - I'm a fascist. But these people (especially the main character) are obnoxious creeps!
The film's target audience of fourteen-year-olds might not realize it, but making sexual abuse allegations against someone simply because they "cramp your style" is a nasty, vicious thing to do. She then has the nerve to say she's stuck in that hellhole because "she lied"!
If the girl's stepfather were smart, he would have sued the girl for defamation of character and took her trust-fund!
It's sad to see that even after their ordeal at the hands of the hippie-dippie, new age doctor and his jack-booted thugs, that each of these spoiled-rotten brats retained every single bit of the unfounded self-righteousness and selfishness they came in with!
I hate youth culture. Someone, please bomb the Island.
Exterminate the brutes ...the horror... the horror...
Bumpy start, Brutal finish
Aka_Who17 December 2008
A little thrown off by the "excessiveness" in the beginning of this film I was pleased to see the pace quickly changed into an intriguingly heart wrenching and fist clenching experience. Pulling no punches in exposing the cruelty that exists in these rehabilitation centers you frequently find yourself a little uneasy with this films content (especially upon remembering that this was based on true events). A lot of content is crammed into this sole title as the story is a melting pot of drama, action, and even a relatively strong love story. Not a dull moment is to be found within this running time. The visuals compliment the story well with a beautiful setting and equally stunning cast.
This isn't a Basic Training Military Boot Camp movie.
shorvath5528 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie on IMDb's Web site where it was advertised as unedited, but to no surprise at all, it was edited for content after all. I really was not aware that these kinds of camps existed in the 1970's. My life experiences in a college dormitory and in Basic Training in the United States Army taught me that when young people are forced into a community, the leaders of these camps maintain their authority with threats of physical violence and fear. As usual there are those in commend who go a step beyond and abuse their power. These abuses of power lead to young women or men being raped, physically abused, or even killed to uphold the power and instill fear in and over the rest of the group. These type of incidents were clearly exhibited in the movie and gave a disturbing feeling while viewing as helpless and innocent children were abused and tortured by their captors without any consequence or punishment.
Missed Opportunity
grimrogue16 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I work with troubled teenagers in my profession, and I am always on the lookout for movies to show them that they might relate to and learn something from. I always pre-screen the flicks before watching them with the youth, and Boot Camp is a good example of why I bother doing this. Although admittedly entertaining and mostly well acted, Boot Camp feels like a movie written by troubled teenagers who are unable to see beyond their angst and hopelessness. The result is a "misunderstood kids" versus "evil authority figures" storyline that was disappointing in its singular focus and lack of meaning.
The idea of the film is actually quite interesting, and it reminded me of another flick about a troubled teen made in 1989 called Lost Angels. The difference between the two movies, however, is that the angry young man in Lost Angels actually learns something about himself and comes to understand how his actions got him into trouble in the first place. In Boot Camp, Mila Kunis stars as a young woman who is actually not a very nice person and learns nothing about herself throughout the story. She starts off being annoying, and stays that way until the very end. The only thing she learns is that you can get raped and killed in youth counseling programs.
She decides to embarrass her father in front of his business associates, and then is seemingly surprised when he gets angry about it. The parents have had enough with her antics and send her to a boot camp overseas. Her boyfriend tries to rescue her by pretending to be a heroin addict, so that his parents will send him to the same boot camp. His plan works and the film slips into a fairly routine "prison escape" flick.
What's so disappointing in Boot Camp is the lost potential it had to show many different sides to the same story. All of the parents are portrayed as cruel cardboard cutouts lacking any ability to empathize with their kids whatsoever. They are shown to be ruthless disciplinarians who just don't understand their children and refuse to try, thus sending them away to boot camp to have them "fixed". The teens have this attitude that they just need to be left alone and that they can take care of themselves. It's all very black and white.
I was hoping for at least some kind of growth to occur with the main character; a moment of awakening or some event to take place that would suggest a level of maturity had been attained. But this was not to be. From the moment she arrives at the boot camp until the final escape when it gets burned to the ground, she's an icy bitch who frowns on another girl with weight issues and treats the staff like garbage. Admittedly it's not a very nice place to be, and in no way am I defending the horrendous abuse that does occur in the film towards some of the youth. Boot Camp just doesn't bother trying to convey any message other than, "Hey kids, it's not your fault that you are messed up. It's your parent's fault. And if they send you to a boot camp, you could get raped or killed."
The most interesting aspect of the story for me was the dynamics between the camp leader and his sister. It really did seem like he cared about the youth and had decent intentions. His plan of "saving" kids through these labor-intensive boot camps with extremely strict rules and consequences is not new and it has been proved to work in real life. He just became too obsessed with "making it work", and his vision flew off the rails after some very poor decisions, such as hiring that psycho ex-Marine to be head of security.
Most of the positive reviews for this flick talk about the evil camp leader and the equally evil parents. If you can watch Boot Camp with this one-sided view of "troubled" teens just being misunderstood and unfairly hassled by authority, than you will probably really enjoy it. You are also probably a teenager feeling the same way. Wait a few more years and watch it again. When you can no longer pump your fist at the end and say "hell yeah" when the camp burns to the ground, that is when you have finally grown up.
The idea of the film is actually quite interesting, and it reminded me of another flick about a troubled teen made in 1989 called Lost Angels. The difference between the two movies, however, is that the angry young man in Lost Angels actually learns something about himself and comes to understand how his actions got him into trouble in the first place. In Boot Camp, Mila Kunis stars as a young woman who is actually not a very nice person and learns nothing about herself throughout the story. She starts off being annoying, and stays that way until the very end. The only thing she learns is that you can get raped and killed in youth counseling programs.
She decides to embarrass her father in front of his business associates, and then is seemingly surprised when he gets angry about it. The parents have had enough with her antics and send her to a boot camp overseas. Her boyfriend tries to rescue her by pretending to be a heroin addict, so that his parents will send him to the same boot camp. His plan works and the film slips into a fairly routine "prison escape" flick.
What's so disappointing in Boot Camp is the lost potential it had to show many different sides to the same story. All of the parents are portrayed as cruel cardboard cutouts lacking any ability to empathize with their kids whatsoever. They are shown to be ruthless disciplinarians who just don't understand their children and refuse to try, thus sending them away to boot camp to have them "fixed". The teens have this attitude that they just need to be left alone and that they can take care of themselves. It's all very black and white.
I was hoping for at least some kind of growth to occur with the main character; a moment of awakening or some event to take place that would suggest a level of maturity had been attained. But this was not to be. From the moment she arrives at the boot camp until the final escape when it gets burned to the ground, she's an icy bitch who frowns on another girl with weight issues and treats the staff like garbage. Admittedly it's not a very nice place to be, and in no way am I defending the horrendous abuse that does occur in the film towards some of the youth. Boot Camp just doesn't bother trying to convey any message other than, "Hey kids, it's not your fault that you are messed up. It's your parent's fault. And if they send you to a boot camp, you could get raped or killed."
The most interesting aspect of the story for me was the dynamics between the camp leader and his sister. It really did seem like he cared about the youth and had decent intentions. His plan of "saving" kids through these labor-intensive boot camps with extremely strict rules and consequences is not new and it has been proved to work in real life. He just became too obsessed with "making it work", and his vision flew off the rails after some very poor decisions, such as hiring that psycho ex-Marine to be head of security.
Most of the positive reviews for this flick talk about the evil camp leader and the equally evil parents. If you can watch Boot Camp with this one-sided view of "troubled" teens just being misunderstood and unfairly hassled by authority, than you will probably really enjoy it. You are also probably a teenager feeling the same way. Wait a few more years and watch it again. When you can no longer pump your fist at the end and say "hell yeah" when the camp burns to the ground, that is when you have finally grown up.
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