Meatballs (1979)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Len Blum (written by) and
Daniel Goldberg (written by) ...

Release Date:

29 June 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

We'll Give You One Hell Of A Holiday

Plot:

Wacky hijinks of counselors and campers at a less-than-average summer camp.

Plot Keywords:

Camp | Summer Camp | Prank | Camp Counselor | Campfire

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 24	4:30 PM	COMEDY
Sat. July 25	9:00 AM	COMEDY

Cast

Bill Murray	...	Tripper Harrison
Harvey Atkin	...	Morty
Kate Lynch	...	Roxanne
Russ Banham	...	Crockett
Kristine DeBell	...	A. L.
Sarah Torgov	...	Candace
Jack Blum	...	Spaz
Keith Knight	...	Larry Finkelstein (Fink)
Cindy Girling	...	Wendy
Todd Hoffman	...	Wheels
Margot Pinvidic	...	Jackie
Matt Craven	...	Hardware (as Matt Cravenn)
Norma Dell'Agnese	...	Brenda
Chris Makepeace	...	Rudy
Michael Kirby	...	Eddy

Also Known As:

Arrête de ramer, t'es sur le sable (Canada: French title)
Summer Camp

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Sonolab)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PG | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Norway:12 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Camps White Pine & Towhee, Haliburton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)

Trivia:

According to one of the featurettes on the DVD, several of the shots in the movie were added after initial filming ended. These included the scenes of Rudy and Tripper at the bus station and of them playing blackjack for peanuts. During the time off, Chris Makepeace had entered puberty and had the beginnings of a mustache. Bill Murray decided that it had to go so he took Makepeace over to a sink, lathered him up with soap and shaved off his mustache. So Chris received his first shave from Bill Murray.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning when the children are getting off the buses after arriving at camp you see a kid wearing a scarf and holding a red jacket on the field. A few shots later you see the same child getting off the bus.

Quotes:

CITs: [sung] We are the C.I.T.s so pity us. / The kids are brats; the food is hideous. / We're gonna smoke and drink and fool around. / We're nookie-bound!... / We are the North Star C.I.T.s!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Frailty (2001)

Soundtrack:

Best Friend

This is one of my all-time favorite films

'Meatballs' is a nice and surprisingly, bittersweet film. It remains every bit as fresh, funny and entertaining as the day it was first released. Forget the sleazy in-name only "sequels". This is the one-and-only, the original. It is a very good-natured and uplifting film. It makes and leaves you feeling good, but a little bit sad when it is over. It perfectly captures the experiences of being a kid, summer camp, camping and growing-up. It also captures just as well the memories made by making friends and having a good time and the pain of having to say goodbye. There are many memorably funny moments and even some touching ones, as well. It is unthinkable how anyone could not like this film or give it bad reviews. Having grown-up in the late 1970's, it is a nice trip to the past and fond memories of summers gone-by. I highly recommend this warm, charming and upbeat film. Don't miss it!