A troubled teen finds himself surrounded by peers and aspirational young adults who model positive behavior it rubs off on him, and he starts acting the same way.

The filmmakers eschew sermons in favor of having the characters practice what would be preached. Where the movie really shines is in breezily delivering its faith-based elements in a way that's likely to be accepted by both faith and secular audiences. But the humor isn't that funny, the script doesn't make much sense in the real world, story beats are left unresolved, and most kids will recognize it as more than just paying homage to the Macaulay Culkin classic. Director Sean Olson tries to deliver the fun of both without the iffy content. Camp Hideout is incredibly well-intentioned, and it certainly has less sexuality, violence, and language than the hilarious-but-mature camp movies and Home Alone comedies it was clearly inspired by. If only wholesome, good-natured, clean comedy was all it took to produce high-quality family entertainment. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails. Themes include communication, empathy, and gratitude. Characters get inventive in trying to keep two criminals away from the camp, but their deterrents are largely of the slapstick variety. Most of the rest of the campers are a diverse, welcoming bunch. Noah lives in a loving foster home one kid bullies him by calling him 'orphan' as if it's a bad word (other insults in the script include 'loser' and 'jerk'). Instead, Christian principles - such as greeting outsiders with open arms and being there to support others through life's challenges - are demonstrated through characters' actions. Made by faith-based filmmakers, it's quite light on both iffy content and obvious faith elements, other than a few scattered 'Easter eggs' (e.g., a dog named Lazurus, or a Bible verse number in the background). It's like Meatballs meets Home Alone, but far more wholesome and less violent. Parents need to know that Camp Hideout is a tween-friendly comedy about a teen named Noah (Ethan Drew) who has to choose between juvenile detention and summer camp.

Despicable me drawing