Sunny Dancer

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2:21

Sunny Dancer

Sep 2026

1h 46m

Drama

Comedy

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Hanging out with mates, partying hard, losing your virginity.... That's how most teenage girls spend their last summer before turning 18. But not Ivy. Her lovingly overbearing parents have other plans: four weeks at Children Run Free Camp, a camp for young adults affected by cancer. A quick Google search confirms her fears with a shitty promo trailer -- sunsets, crossfades, everything iMovie can vomit up. As if beating cancer wasn't enough, now she has to go to summer camp. But 'Chemo camp' turns out to be more inspiring than expected. She meets like-minded misfits who just want to 'fuck shit up' and live life to the fullest -- snorting prescription drugs, downing vodka, skinny dipping... and maybe even falling in love. Sunny Dancer is a coming-of-age comedy-romance celebrating love, friendship, and challenging adversity: feeling most alive whilst the world has other plans.

Critics Consensus

Sunny Dancer breathes new life into the coming-of-age formula, with its spirited young cast's infectious energy and emotional candor bringing a vital spark to weighty subject matter.

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Nell Minow

RogerEbert.com

Sep 18, 2026

3.5/4

Jaques and his young cast make a conventional story feel fresh.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Aug 18, 2026

Bella Ramsey elevates this likable but formulaic British coming-of-age feature with a performance so emotionally forceful that we barely notice the lingering question marks surrounding an unexpected third-act reveal.

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Aug 17, 2026

2/5

It’s a noble effort, and it’s laudable that Jaques clearly hasn’t got a cynical bone in his body, but it’s too much of a soft take on a very hard subject.

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Sergio Román

Cinemanía (Spain)

2 days ago

3/5

It features a solid adult cast, most notably Neil Patrick Harris, who here plays a monitor hiding a painful past beneath his nerdy appearance. [Full review in Spanish]

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Abbie Bernstein

Assignment X

2 days ago

B-

Sunny Dancer has superb young actor performances and intelligent observations doing battle with good intentions. Which ultimately wins out will be up to the individual viewer to decide.

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Alan Zilberman

Spectrum Culture

Sep 24, 2026

1/5

Every scene is inauthentic, creating a kind of tedium where forced whimsy is just a setup for the other shoe to drop. If viewers do not see the "twist" coming, it is only because Jaques distorts his narrative in irritating ways to make it happen.

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Jaime P

@JMPrater 6 days ago

Sunny Dancer is charming, well acted and full of TikTok moments, musical montages and Gen Z angst. Bella Ramsey brings both charm and frustration to Ivy, a 17-year-old leukemia survivor sent to a cancer survivor camp by her parents. Neil Patrick Harris is wonderful as the camp’s founder. Where the film falls very short is character. By the end, we know almost NOTHING about these kids beyond the fact that they’re survivors. There are no recollections of diagnosis, no quiet conversations about what they’ve endured, and very little insight into who they actually are. Ivy’s mother tells us early on that she seems angry at the world, but the film never really asks why. Ironically, Harris is given the film’s one genuine moment of depth. If you close your eyes and smile, it’s a fun time. If you’re looking for a film able to extract character from caricature, look elsewhere.

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Shirley M

@Shirls58 Sep 19, 2026

This small budget film is a must . Bella Ramsey is outstanding as always . She tackles the story line with her brilliance . Cancer is always a tricky one but Bella and the cast were so good . Give it a try supporting small films is always a must . Well written and Directed

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Margie R

@McargieK Sep 18, 2026

Good film about a very sad subject, well written & acted

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George Jaques

Director

Bella Ramsey

Ivy

James Norton

Bob

Neil Patrick Harris

Patrick

Jessica Gunning

Karen

Conrad Khan

Archie

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Synopsis

Hanging out with mates, partying hard, losing your virginity.... That's how most teenage girls spend their last summer before turning 18. But not Ivy. Her lovingly overbearing parents have other plans: four weeks at Children Run Free Camp, a camp for young adults affected by cancer. A quick Google search confirms her fears with a shitty promo trailer -- sunsets, crossfades, everything iMovie can vomit up. As if beating cancer wasn't enough, now she has to go to summer camp. But 'Chemo camp' turns out to be more inspiring than expected. She meets like-minded misfits who just want to 'fuck shit up' and live life to the fullest -- snorting prescription drugs, downing vodka, skinny dipping... and maybe even falling in love. Sunny Dancer is a coming-of-age comedy-romance celebrating love, friendship, and challenging adversity: feeling most alive whilst the world has other plans.

Director: George Jaques
Producer: George Jaques, Ken Petrie
Screenwriter: George Jaques
Distributor: Quiver Distribution
Production Co: Athenaeum Productions
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 46m

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