A Week Away is exactly what it looks like: a high-gloss, choreography-heavy summer camp musical that swaps Disney Channel tropes for youth group culture. It’s earnest, surprisingly well-produced, and currently the biggest thing in the "clean teen" space as it migrates to Angel Studios. If your kid has a pulse and a penchant for choreographed dance numbers, they’re going to find this—and you’re going to be hearing 90s Christian pop covers in the shower for the next three weeks.
A Week Away is a "safe" but high-energy musical about a troubled teen finding belonging at a summer camp. It features covers of classic 90s CCM artists like Steven Curtis Chapman and Amy Grant, making it a nostalgia trip for parents and a catchy discovery for kids. It’s a perfect fit for fans of High School Musical or Camp Rock who want something with a faith-based backbone. For more vetted picks, check out our best movies for kids list.
The premise is a classic: Will (Kevin Quinn) is a "troubled" foster kid who chooses a week at a Christian summer camp over juvenile hall. He’s the fish out of water, the leather-jacket-wearer in a sea of neon t-shirts. He meets Avery (Bailee Madison), the camp director’s daughter, and—shocker—sparks fly during a series of increasingly elaborate musical numbers.
The secret sauce here isn't the plot; it’s the soundtrack. The movie takes 90s and early 2000s Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) staples—songs like "Great Adventure," "Dive," and "Baby, Baby"—and gives them the pop-rock theater treatment. If you grew up in a church pew in 1996, this movie is going to trigger some deep-seated memories. For your kids, these are just "new" catchy songs. It’s a rare bridge between generations that doesn't feel entirely forced, even if the "troubled kid" trope is laid on a bit thick.
Parents usually ask about A Week Away because they’ve heard it’s "safe." It is. This is a movie where the most scandalous thing that happens is a chaste, slow-motion kiss at the end.
- Language: Non-existent. Not even a "heck" or "darn" to worry about.
- Romance: It’s the definition of "sweet." Hand-holding, meaningful glances, and a lot of singing about feelings.
- The "Troubled" Past: Will’s history involves some minor law-breaking (stealing a police car is the big one), but the movie treats it as a symptom of his loneliness and grief after losing his parents, rather than genuine delinquency.
- Faith: It’s a faith-based movie, but it doesn't spend the first 80 minutes hitting you over the head with a Bible. The "sermon" moments are baked into the songs and the campfire conversations. It’s more about belonging and forgiveness than it is about theology.
If your kid is obsessed with the choreography and the high-energy ensemble numbers, they’re likely entering their Musical Theater Phase. A Week Away is a gateway drug. Here is where to take them next:
The "Misfits and Music" Category
- Sing Street: If they liked the "kid starts a band/finds himself through music" vibe, this is the gold standard. It’s set in 1980s Dublin and features original songs that are genuinely better than anything on the radio. It’s a bit more "real" than a summer camp musical, but the payoff is massive.
- Newsies: For the kid who loved the big group dance numbers. It’s got the same "us against the world" energy but with 1890s New York grit and Alan Menken bops.
- The Young Girls of Rochefort: A deeper cut for the truly theater-obsessed. It’s a French masterpiece of color and choreography. If they can handle subtitles, it’s a visual feast that makes modern musicals look lazy.
The "Finding Yourself" Category
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople: If the "troubled foster kid finds a home" part of the story resonated, skip the singing and go straight to this Taika Waititi gem. It’s funny, moving, and handles the foster-care theme with way more nuance.
- Holes: Another "kid sent to a camp to learn a lesson" story, but with a mystery that actually requires some brainpower to untangle.
The movie touches on a few things that are actually worth a five-minute carpool conversation:
- The "Mask" Conversation: Will spends most of the movie pretending to be someone he’s not so he’ll fit in at camp. Ask your kid: "Why do you think Will felt like he couldn't just be honest about where he came from?" It’s a great way to talk about the pressure to look "perfect" in certain social circles.
- The Power of Forgiveness: The movie’s climax hinges on whether the other kids will accept Will once they find out he "lied" about his past. It’s a pretty low-stakes version of a big life lesson: Is someone defined by the worst thing they’ve ever done?
- The Music Evolution: If you’re a parent who lived through the original CCM era, play them the original version of "Dive" by Steven Curtis Chapman or "Place in this World" by Michael W. Smith. It’s a fun way to show them that "your" music wasn't just organ hymns.
The biggest friction point with A Week Away isn't the content—it's the cheese factor. If you have a kid who is "too cool" for earnestness, they might roll their eyes out of their head in the first fifteen minutes. This movie is unironic. It believes in the power of a synchronized dance-off.
Also, worth noting: the movie has moved from Netflix to Angel Studios. If your family uses the Angel Studios app, you’ll likely see it promoted heavily alongside The Chosen.
Q: What age is A Week Away appropriate for? The sweet spot is ages 8 to 14. Younger kids will like the bright colors and dancing; older teens might find it a bit too "squeaky clean," though musical theater fans will usually stick around for the choreography.
Q: Is A Week Away too preachy? It depends on your baseline. It’s definitely a faith-based movie, but it plays more like a Disney Channel movie with a "God loves you" message than a traditional church film. The religious elements feel integrated into the camp setting rather than tacked-on.
Q: Are there any content warnings for A Week Away? Virtually none. There is a brief mention of the main character’s parents dying in a car accident, which is the source of his emotional trauma, but the accident itself isn't shown.
Q: Is it better than High School Musical? Production-wise, it’s on par. Musically, it’s more focused on acoustic-pop and CCM covers rather than the pure bubblegum pop of HSM. If your kid likes one, they will almost certainly like the other.
A Week Away is a high-quality, low-stress family watch. It’s not going to win an Oscar for its screenplay, but it’s a professional, catchy, and genuinely kind-hearted movie that fills a specific gap in the market. It’s the kind of movie you can put on and actually walk out of the room without worrying about what’s coming next—though you might find yourself humming Amy Grant on your way to the kitchen.
- For more high-energy picks, see our best movies for kids list.
- If your kid is aging out of camp musicals, check out our digital guide for middle school.
- Find more movies about summer camp
