When the school year ends, a boy named Gerry Garner finds out that his parents are sending him to Camp Hope, a weight-loss camp for boys. At first, Gerry is unsure, but he soon befriends the camp’s enthusiastic counselor Pat and bonds with the other campers who have secretly stocked the cabins with enough junk food to last the entire summer. The very first night at Camp Hope reveals a harsh turn of events: the camp’s original owners, the Bushkins, have gone bankrupt, and a fitness entrepreneur, Tony Perkis Jr., has purchased the place with a single goal in mind—turn the camp’s weight-loss program into a glossy, profitable infomercial.
Under Tony’s new regime, the atmosphere shifts dramatically. The beloved activities—go-karts, the Blob, and other fun staples of the camp—are replaced by a grueling, punishing workout routine that tests the campers’ endurance and spirit. The warm, easygoing Pat is replaced by a stern, by-the-book counselor named Lars, and the rivalry with Camp MVP, a more athletic rival camp, intensifies as the boys push themselves through a painful softball showdown that underscores the new, harder standard of competition.
As Tony tightens his grip, he begins forcefully confiscating the campers’ personal belongings and even cuts them off from contact with the outside world. When the camp’s hidden food caches are purged, one brave camper, Josh, dares to taunt Tony and is sent home, forfeiting the fees as a consequence. Tony goes further, setting up a humiliating dance with Camp Magnolia, the girls’ summer camp, in an attempt to shame the boys into shedding pounds. Yet the staff—Tim, Pat, and nurse Julie—refuse to let the plan stand, choosing instead to help the campers find joy and camaraderie even in hard times.
Josh returns to Camp Hope and reveals that his lawyer father threatened legal action against Tony for dismissing his son without a refund, hinting at the larger stakes behind Tony’s hardline approach. Gerry and his friends decide to fight back, sneaking into Tony’s office to recover confiscated snacks and uncover a troubling truth: Tony has intercepted nearly every letter sent by the campers to their families, including a letter Gerry had written to his grandmother. In a turning point, the group discovers a secret food stash used by most of the camp’s residents, and the discovery fuels a rebellious plan. Tony responds with a brutal 20-mile hike, signaling that the real test of the summer is not just weight loss, but whether the campers can stand up to his extreme methods.
The campers execute a bold move, tricking Tony into a perilous fall into a pit and imprisoning him in a makeshift cell powered by a bug zapper. With Pat, Julie, and Tim allied with the campers, they retake control of Camp Hope, tying up Lars in the woods along with Tony’s other counselors, and celebrating with a wild binge-eating bonfire that marks a reclaiming of their summer. Lars shifts sides after threats of deportation loom, and the balance of power tilts back toward the campers.
The following morning, Pat rallies the group to take responsibility for themselves, promising a healthier, more humane path forward. The campers recommit to losing weight in a balanced way while keeping Camp Hope a place of laughter and friendship. Visiting day brings the campers’ parents to see the situation, and a video documenting Tony’s cruelty is shown, though Tony himself interrupts it. In a dramatic confrontation, Tony confronts Gerry’s father, attempting a backflip that ends with him knocked unconscious. Tony’s arrest and removal clear the way for a new future, as Tony Perkis Sr. arrives and promises to refund the families, but also announces the camp’s closure unless Pat steps in to lead.
Pat accepts the responsibility, and with Gerry and the others’ support, Camp Hope is allowed to stay open under his care. The campers restore their favorite activities, preparing to face Camp MVP in the annual competition. The opening events begin with Camp MVP taking an early lead in the obstacle course, but Camp Hope closes the gap in the second round, a knowledge-based challenge. The final go-kart race becomes a defining moment: Gerry crosses the finish line first, securing a win for Camp Hope. Yet Pat, choosing more than victory, tosses the trophy into the lake and seals his budding romance with Julie with a kiss as the camp basks in a true, shared fun.
As the credits roll, Pat, the campers, and Lars belt out the camp’s anthem, celebrating a summer that proved fun and friendship can triumph over prestige and pressure. In a post-credits vignette, Tony has transformed into an unsuccessful door-to-door salesman peddling healing crystals, a quirky reminder of the fall from his infomercial dream.
Throughout the story, the core message remains clear: resilience, teamwork, and the joy of belonging can overturn harsh methods and restore a fair, healthy spirit to Camp Hope.
