| Meatballs | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Ivan Reitman |
| Produced by | John Dunning |
| Written by | Len Blum Dan Goldberg Janis Allen Harold Ramis |
| Starring | Bill Murray Chris Makepeace Kate Lynch |
| Music by | George F. Enton |
| Cinematography | Don Wilder |
| Editing by | Debra Karen |
| Studio | Famous Players CFDC |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (Theatrical) Sony Pictures Entertainment (DVD) |
| Release date(s) | June 29, 1979 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.6 million |
| Box office | $43,046,003 |
Meatballs is a 1979 Canadian comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman. It is noted for the first film appearance of Bill Murray in a starring role and for launching Reitman into a distinguished career of financially successful comedies including Stripes (1981) and Ghostbusters (1984), both starring Murray. The film also introduced child actor Chris Makepeace in the role of Rudy Gerner. It was followed by several sequels, of which only Meatballs III: Summer Job (1986) had any connection to the original.
The title of the movie refers to an epithet used in the film regarding the idiocy of one character, which is not further explained but which could perhaps refer to the unconventionality of the counsellors-in-training (CITs) and campers of the main summer camp in the story.
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The film follows the antics of head counsellor Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray) and the CITs at Camp North Star, a cut-rate summer camp.
The main plot involves Rudy Gerner (Chris Makepeace), a lonely kid who is sent to summer camp by his father. Rudy is depressed and has trouble getting along with the other campers. His situation is magnified when he makes a mistake that causes his team (coached by overly competitive counsellor, Phil) to lose a soccer game. Dejected, Rudy packs up and leaves the camp to return home, but Tripper soons catches up with him at the bus station and convinces him to return. From that point, Tripper takes Rudy under his wing and each morning they go jogging and soon bond as friends. Tripper helps Rudy gain confidence while Rudy encourages Tripper to start a romance with Roxanne (Kate Lynch), the female head counsellor.
Candace (Sarah Torgov) "kidnaps" fellow CIT Bobby Crockett (Russ Banham) in a speedboat and confesses her feelings for him. Wheels, who had broken up with A.L. (Kristine DeBell) the year before, successfully rekindles the relationship during a dance. The nerdy Spaz (Jack Blum) first turns his attentions to buxom blonde Wendy, but then develops a crush on the more tomboyish Jackie, which she eventually reciprocates.
Morty Melnick (Harvey Atkin) is the North Star Camp director and the butt of the counsellors' practical jokes (among which is everyone calling him "Micky"). Tripper's favourite gag is invading Morty's cabin in the middle of the night and relocating the deep-sleeping director to unusual places such as in a tree or on the roadside (and eventually on a floating platform in the middle of the lake).
A subplot deals with the camp's rivalry with the wealthy Camp Mohawk, located across the lake. During a basketball game, North Star is being beaten by Mohawk after which they attempt their own perverse form of victory. This sets the stage for the yearly Olympiad held between the camps in which Mohawk carries a 12-0 record.
During the first day of competition, Mohawk dominates North Star, often by cheating. Crockett fails to clear the high jump bar, Hardware gets pummelled in boxing, and Jackie suffers a broken leg in field hockey, thanks to the dirty work of two Mohawk girls. The score at the end of Day One is: Mohawk-170, North Star-63.
That evening, at the North Star Lodge, Tripper gives a rousing pep talk, telling the demoralized campers that it just does not matter whether they win or lose ("...because all the really good-looking girls will still go out with the guys from Mohawk, 'cause they got all the money!"). In unison, Camp North Star begins to chant, "It just doesn't matter!"
Newly inspired, Day Two of the Olympiad belongs to North Star as they win every event. The female CIT's beat the Mohawks in the Freestyle swimming relay, aided by a North Star cheat courtesy of Crockett. Wheels outwrestles his opponent, Spaz defeats Rhino in a stacking contest with inspiration from Jackie and a thwarted Mohawk cheating attempt, the North Star 14-year-old girls (led by gossip queen Jody) defeat their Mohawk rivals in softball, and after 12 years of defeat Fink finally beats "The Stomach" in the hot dog eating contest. North Star now trails by only 10 points with one event left, a 4-mile cross country run for 20 points. With Jackie injured and unable to run, the counsellors debate who should replace her. Tripper steps forward and nominates a surprised Rudy to compete against Horse (Jim McLarty), Mohawk's star runner. Initially, Morty and the others are reluctant to allow Rudy to represent the camp, but Tripper convinces them (and Rudy) that he can do it. The many mornings Rudy spent jogging and training with Tripper pay off as he wins the race, giving North Star its first Olympiad victory and making him the camp hero.
Later that evening, Morty, Tripper, Roxanne, and the CITs sing around a campfire and say their final goodbyes as the camp prepares to close for the summer. Roxanne agrees to move in with Tripper and, on a motorcycle, the two of them lead the buses out of camp. The movie ends with Morty in bed on a raft in the lake, then stepping sleepily into the water.
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 72% based on 25 reviews.[1]
The instrumental music was written by Elmer Bernstein. Musicians contributing to the soundtrack included Mary MacGregor performing "Good Friend," David Naughton performing "Makin' It" and Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots performing the title theme "Meatballs." "Good Friend" and "Makin' It" made the Billboard and Cashbox pop charts (see below).
Meatballs RSO 1-3056 (Billboard #170, August 1979)
The movie was filmed at Camp White Pine and other locations near Haliburton, Ontario.
Meatballs was first released on DVD in 1999 by HBO (although Paramount Pictures was behind the original theatrical release and the first VHS and Selectavision release in the 1980s, and also continues to hold international video rights.) Sony Pictures Entertainment issued a special-edition DVD (with an anamorphic transfer, a director's commentary, and a "Making of" featurette) on June 5, 2007. The sequels did not receive the same treatment of re-release.
Meatballs was followed by three sequels: Meatballs Part II (1984), Meatballs III: Summer Job (1986) and Meatballs 4 (1992). None of the sequels had any involment from either Ivan Reitman or Bill Murray. They also have nothing to do with the continuing the storylines of the characters at Camp North Star, with the exception of Meatballs III which features Patrick Dempsey as Rudy Gerner, replacing Chris Makepeace from the original film. The sequels also went for a more raunchy humor on par with such popular teen sex comedies like Porky's (1982) and Revenge of the Nerds (1984). However, the films were all critically panned and box office flops. In 2010, a remake of the film became in development with Lionsgate, with John Whitesell attached to direct a script by Sean Anders and John Morris.[3]
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