Nobody Likes Camping is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. Set up like a horror story in the woods, the film starts out with a couple, Toni (Rachel Baker) and James (Neel Kolhatkar), who decide to spend their second date camping in a sketchy location. With clashing personalities, Toni and James spend their date bickering until night falls and the real horror begins. After their attempt at a romantic night, Toni and James realize that their tent zipper is jammed and they’re stuck with no food or water. The confinement drives them further into madness, resulting in a cascade of vile events that leads to an unforgettable night.
With vibrantly saturated colors, the film has a lively atmosphere that brings out the intensity and energy in both Baker and Kolhatker’s performances. The crisp soundscape and well-lit setting gave the film the professional feel of a TV production. Although the overall production value was great, the film relies on cheap and overused comedic techniques such as dramatic irony and shock value to keep the plot interesting. These approaches to comedy can work out, but more often than not they make for a cheesy narrative, or in this film’s case, a distasteful one.
Everyone’s sense of humor is different, making comedy critique rather subjective. Nobody Likes Camping fits into a niche style of comedy, seen in parody or spoof films, where cliché humor is celebrated. With that being said, the film also uses a lot of shock value that comes off as juvenile. While some may thrive off of unpleasant imagery and gore, most probably do not enjoy watching three minutes of vomiting. There comes a point where jokes centered around bodily fluids are no longer funny.
