Best summer camp movies

Best summer camp movies

Best summer camp movies
It's the 150th anniversary of summer camp, according to the American Camp Association. It identifies the first organized camp as Connecticut'sGunnery Camp. Find out how to pick the best summer camp experience for your child; then immerse yourself in some classic summer camp movies and remember why it's such a quintessential American experience.

'Meatballs'
Director: Ivan Reitman

Cast: Bill Murray (tapped to play a president); Harvey Atkin (best known for his role on an '80s police drama)

Summer mischief: The head of a low-end summer camp presides over a lineup of misfit counselors and needy kids, making for a classic screwball comedy.

'The Parent Trap,' 1961
Director: David Swift

Cast: Hayley Mills, star of a popular British TV drama, TV dad Brian Keith

Summer mischief: Twins of divorced parents meet at a summer c

'The Parent Trap' (1998)
Director: Nancy Meyers

Cast: Lindsay Lohan, a freckle-faced preteen when she snagged the lead; now a bombshell with a long criminal record; a late actress who lost her life in a tragic accident in 2009

Summer mischief: The remake of the classic movie features Dennis Quaid in the dad role, and introduced a whole new generation to summer camp.

'Summercamp!'
Director: Bradley Beesley and Sarah Price

Cast: Real-life campers Cameron and Holly at Swift Nature Camp in Wisconsin

Summer mischief: A poignant look at what it's like to be at summer camp set to music from the Flaming Lips

'Indian Summer'
Director: Mike Binder

Cast: Diane Lane, soon to play mom to a famous superhero (which one?); Bill Paxton, star of a popular HBO series

Summer mischief: A group of campers reunites at a summer camp that's about to close.

'Camp Nowhere'
Director: Jonathan Prince

Cast: Quirky Christopher Lloyd as the kids' drama teacher; Jonathan Jackson, who now plays Lucky on this popular soap opera

Summer mischief: Four kids who aren't excited about the camp options their parents picked for them create
their own version of summer camp.

'Wet Hot American Summer'
Director: David Wain

Cast: Talent show-obsessed Amy Poehler joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" the same year the movie came out; Bradley Cooper (his hidden talent?); Paul Rudd, an unfaithful, tantrum-throwing boyfriend

Summer mischief: A lot of folks who would become breakout stars in the next decade can be found at the fictional Camp Firewood. This 10-year-old satire of teen summer camp movies didn't do well with critics, but the movie has since become a cult favorite.

'Heavyweights'
Director: Steven Brill

Cast: Ben Stiller, who's recently been talking about a sequel to thisfashion industry spoof; Jerry Stiller; Anne Meara

Summer mischief: Disney flick about overweight kids versus a would-be fitness guru who wants to transform them at summer camp.
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