Count Camp as the rarity it is: a modern movie that&#146;s funny and sweet. Musical theater fanatics will revel in its delicious details; the rest of us will simply enjoy some snappy, self-aware kids who have the lungs of Ethel Merman.

Writer/director Todd Graff based the film on his own experiences at a summer performing arts camp (he was 8-year-old Robert Downey Jr.&#146;s counselor at Stagedoor Manor in New York) and his love for the place seeps from every frame. Most of the campers at Camp Ovation are geeks: slightly round Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat) had to take her brother to the prom; gay Michael (Robin De Jesus) attended his prom in drag; fat Jenna (Tiffany Taylor) had her jaws wired shut; and put-upon Fritzi (Anna Kendrick) feels compelled to follow Jill (Alana Allen), the bitchy blonde, around.

Throwing things appealingly out of sync and at the base of the film&#146;s love rectangle is Vlad (Daniel Letterle), the hunky straight guy who incredulously doesn&#146;t know who Stephen Sondheim is. Sondheim, in fact, donated three songs to the soundtrack, giving "Camp&#146;s" terrific music sequences real depth and authenticity. There&#146;s no denying the power when Fritzi finally breaks out her chains with a kick-butt performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch" from Company.

Or how about a hilarious version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David&#146;s "Turkey Lurkey Time" from Promises, Promises and a moving rendition of Henry Kreiger&#146;s "And I Am Telling You I&#146;m Not Going" from Dreamgirls.

Graff and his well credentialed team — including composer s Michael Gore of Fame and Stephen Trask of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, choreographer Jerry Mitchell of Hairspray, and music supervisor Tim Weil of Rent &#150; know what they&#146;re doing. They even throw in some classic rock, as Vlad immediately starts breaking hearts during his audition, singing the Rolling Stones&#146; "Wild Horses."

When the kids chat about tryouts, chiding each other about being trite with "Don&#146;t Rain on My Parade," it&#146;s only the beginning of the avalanche of musical theater references. The flow of jokes, though, is supported by the weight of the characters, who remain cozy misfits, not precious after-school special types or canned "American Idol" wannabes. The kids&#146; music coach, Bert (Don Dixon), an alcoholic composer who couldn&#146;t follow up a Broadway smash, adds an appropriate dose of cynicism to the party, but it&#146;s done in such an over-the-top, clunky way that his message about the world&#146;s harsh reality is destroyed.

And why would the camp director allow such a nasty drunk to verbally abuse such talented, devoted kids? Yet this nagging question doesn&#146;t even begin to detract from Camp&#146;s overall good vibes and humor. Any movie beginning with a bunch of real kids singing serious gospel from their hearts in the rain, and closing with an equally inspirational and rousing pop song by Todd Rundgren, can&#146;t be all bad.

– Leslie Katz