A Week Away - A Netflix Movie Review

Let’s have a fun week at camp. You never know what you’ll learn.

A Week Away was released to Netflix in 2021. Will Hawkins has to attend a camp for the first time in his life. Keeping his life a secret, he makes friends who open his mind. Finding lingering feelings for Avery, Will finds his experience at the camp to be enriching and healing.

We need more musical films. A Week Away is a feel-good film. It made me want to dance along to the songs. The teen years are tough. While A Week Away is a fun story about finding your pathway, it’s not as original.

The ensemble of A Week Away had a fun time. Kevin Quinn and Bailie Madison were excellent in their performances. I have always been a fan of Madison’s work especially when she was a kid. As for Quinn, he did a nice job connecting with Will’s mind. His questioning of why everyone was dancing was one of my favorite parts of the film.

Both Quinn and Madison were terrific in their performances, specifically during an emotional argument. While the main storyline is about their blossoming relationship, I feel like they did not earn enough focus.

In his film debut, Jahbril Cook was excellent. Both as an actor and singer. He was a highlight. I like his scenes with Quinn. They had fun in their dialogue. Will and George’s friendship is integral to all audiences that you will make friends in unexpected places.

There are a lot of interesting characters in A Week Away. David Koechner was exceptional. Other credits include Kat Conner Sterling, Sherri Shepherd, Iain Tucker, Amy Grant, and several more. Most of the cast was there to lend their talents to well-choreographed dance sequences.

Most of the characters are stereotypes or come off as flat. For example, the bully was given a resolution out of nowhere. I know filmmakers wanted to give other characters a chance, but they did not feel necessary. As I said, more focus should have been attained to Will and Avery.

I have missed watching dance numbers in a movie. As a theater lover, it reminded me of the musicals I have been involved in. Cast members did an outstanding job in the dance numbers. Putting their energy to the screen, the cast’s creative talent was a highlight.

The dance numbers tend to drag into it a bit. Storywise, the film spent too much time referencing copying the premise of other films. It felt like a John Hughes film which is actually quoted in the film! A touch of Dirty Dancing and Camp Rock is even thrown into the mix.

Films about summer camp have an important moral. I went to a few camps when I was a kid. Looking back on my experiences, it’s all about learning to grow and making new friends. It’s important to be yourself instead of lying about your life.

You never know what you will learn about yourself or someone in one week. One of the best parts about camp is that it is an opportunity to get to know new people. We all have different stories. Embrace your true personality.

Roman White defined the moral that you should never judge a book by its cover. White distributed A Week Away to audiences who are struggling to find a purpose. He could have worked on the story, but it was an entertaining film. Some of the story felt sugarcoated, specifically the ending.

Theater lovers are sure to enjoy A Week Away. I recommend it for your next Friday’s movie night.