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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 6820
Released: June 5, 2007 |
| Our Price: $5.06 |
| Used Price: $2.01 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Set at a low-end summer camp and aimed squarely at a teen audience, Meatballs is a light screwball comedy that turned its low-budget Canadian roots into a very profitable box-office run. The biggest reason for the film's success is Bill Murray who stars as Tripper, the head counselor who runs things at Camp Northstar with the help of his love interest Roxanne (Kate Lynch) and the camp's director Morty (Harvey Atkins), who is affectionately known as Mickey. Camp opens with Tripper and Morty preparing the misfit counselors-in-training — Spaz, Fink, Crockett, A.L., Candace, Wendy, and Wheels among them — for the arrival of their hyperactive little charges. After settling in, kids and counselors begin their activities with a soccer game in which depressed 11-year-old Rudy (Chris Makepeace) accidentally loses the game. Cast out by the other children, Rudy runs away only to come across Tripper, who befriends the boy and makes him his running partner. Romance, sexy fun, and comic hijinx — usually with the heavy-sleeping Morty as their target — lead up to an annual Olympiad in which Camp Northstar battles the wealthier and athletically superior residents of Camp Mohawk. The challenging events include cup stacking, potato-sack racing, and a nauseating hot dog-eating contest in which the portly Fink devours his way to victory. With the two-day event tied up, it comes down to the cross-country run, in which Tripper enters Rudy. Meatballs was the first major directorial effort by multi-talented filmmaker Ivan Reitman, whose name has since become synonymous with the comedy genre.
Description of Meatballs (Special Edition):
Decades before he was winning accolades for his work in Lost in Translation and Rushmore, Bill Murray was making moviegoers snicker with his breakthrough comedy Meatballs. This film--which was released theatrically in 1979--stars a 29-year-old Murray as a horny camp counselor named Tripper Harrison, who is just barely more mature than the kids he's looking after. Tripper seems like a screw up because he is, but the audience sees soon enough that he has that proverbial heart of gold, which is offset by an acerbic tongue. Looking over one of the unhappy children in his charge, Tripper says, "You must be the short, depressed kid we ordered." Camp North Star isn't the type of destination kids dream about during the school year. As envisioned by director Ivan Reitman (who would again collaborate with Murray in Ghostbusters), it's a place where kids do their time until their parents let them return home. But in his own way, Tripper makes it a fun place for the kids to learn about the opposite sex and get a feeing for competition. Unlike Little Darlings, the coming-of-age camping film starring Kristy McNichol and Tatum O'Neal that was released a year later, there really isn't a strong moral to this film. But there is a sense that thanks to Tripper's unorthodox madness, he makes Camp North Star a place that kids want to return to the following year. While not as self-assured as he would be in a smaller role in 1980's Caddyshack, Murray is highly likeable here as an overgrown doof.
On the DVD
In the special edition version of this DVD, the extra features include some insight into Murray, who is somewhat elusive about committing to film projects. Reitman reveals that he actually wasn't sure Murray (who wasn't a big name back then) was on board for Meatballs until he showed up for filming the first week. Interestingly enough, this comedy originally was supposed to focus its attention on several camp counselors, but Murray was so good in his role that the plot was adjusted to focus primarily on Tripper. Also included is a three-part "making of" featurette that includes insight into casting, the use of real campers because they didn't have enough money to pay for extras, and interviews with some of the cast members. --Jae-Ha Kim
Stills from Meatballs (click for larger image)
Beyond Meatballs at Amazon.com
More Films by Bill Murray |
Get Ready for Camp |
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Meatballs (Special Edition) Reviews:
funny!! 
2009-08-25 - i've seen this movie when it first came out. i enjoyed it and thought it was funny with bill murray. its a real good summer time movie. it'll make you laugh
a different kind of review
2009-03-11 - i was 10 in 1979 when meatballs was released. i was a young snl fan of the 75 to 80 gang a poster of them to this day hangs on my wall in a far corner to remind me how much the late 70's mid 80's meant to me
i first saw this movie like 1941 animal house blues brothers caddyshack the jerk foul play vacation stripes of the era and reminds me of how i lived the era these people and my time as a kid
i saw meatballs in the theater and really a few times on tv and on the ol vhs copy the 80's version not the 90's nor the 97 dvd.
I saw this 30 th anniversary and Im sorry to say this...well I cried.
I saw this film when it was in mono and the picture was grainy.
This print and sound was so intense I felt like I was there when it was being done, the film print beautiful the sound totally redone
and the movie is actually like i remembered ...excellent
I think its been over 20 years since i saw it
This was I think my favorite of all Bill Murray works
he was peaking in sat night live and all that greatness of him followed him to this role
I feel like Chris Makepeace quiet kid hard to make friends and frankly I needed a Bill Murray in my life
I cant put my foot on it but somehow this film now goes by so fast it just whizzes by you...it freaked me out...it seemed slower more paced...
it is a short movie but very well done. each scene. The music I remember as well which fit the movie. Just a warm hearted funny tender movie
but like I said watching the redo is like watching the same movie but in a different way. Like I said it was made in 1979 and in those days they didnt have the technology to bring the print out like they did with this version...just had that essence mono grainy transfer look to it
Im dedicated this to the people who understand this review.
Kids of the 70's and understand the feeling of that era.
Older people and younger people may not understand what Im writing
if you 8 or 10 around 1978 1980 there was a very sensitive warm moment that was there. Im sorry but it will never happen again.
The 60 70's for life music art movies (maybe not politics but who cares)
was so special organic analog and just joyful I weep for the era and my fellow friends of the era who understand this review
MH
Nostalgic 
2008-12-16 - I was surprised at how young bill Murray looked. It was also strange to see all those old cars and hair cuts that I once remembered as new. As a historical remembrance Meatsballs was much more interesting that otherwise viewed outside that context.
Overall meatballs was still kind of funny with a couple of real gems in there. The "It just doesn't matter" chant was fantastic, as well as Bill Murray protending to be the other camps director.
I also noticed the film seemed to have more of a romantic innocence than many modern day films. Though the counselors seemed to always be trying to get some, in the end they were portrayed as romantic with long term interest. I felt this more healthy than many T.V. sitcoms where the characters jumped from relationship to relationship.
In short Meatballs is the type of film you view every ten years and laugh at a couple of really good scenes, smirk your way through the rest, and marvel at how old you must be getting.
Spaz, Spaz, Spaz, Spaz, Spaz, Spaz, Spaz, Spaz
2008-08-20 - This should be or perhaps it is a cult classic. This is one of my favorite older movies. Bill Murray while he's no super funny in Meatballs, his humor shines along with the cast of mostly non-stars. Harvey Atkins is the Camp Director Morty (Not Mickey!) Melnick who tries to keep order at Camp North Star while at the same time his counselors and counselors-in-training (CIT's for short) keep their hormones and hijinks in check. Naturally the leader of his counselors on the male side is Tripper Harris (Bill Murray) and on the female side you have Roxanne who Trip loves but the feeling isn't mutual. Throw in the fact that Morty/Mickey constantly finds himself waking up in unpleasant fashion. Whether it's high on a tree (including his side table with his alarm clock) or floating on a raft on a lake out in the middle of nowhere. But who is responsible?
Hijinks are plenty in this 70's classic. This leads up to the Camp Olympics between the very rich Camp Mohawk and the not-so-rich Camp North Star. Camp Mohawk always seem to beat there near neighbor, Camp North Star. Will they defeat North Star again? Will Trip win over Roxanne? WIll Morty/Mickey be able to sleep in peace?
The special addition adds director Ivan Reitman's commentary, the making of the movie Meatballs, and support for 5.1 audio. It's in widescreen format and the picture looks great, even for a 30 year old movie. It stars a very young Bill Murray, Chris Makepeace, Kate Lynch, Kristine DeBell, and Harvey Atkin.
Great Memories of the '70's
2008-06-17 - The story of a summer camp and it's head counselor played by Bill Murray. Some really funny scenes regarding the camp director, they all call him Mickey, his name is Morty.
But the best part of all is that "It just doesn't matter " speech that Bill Murray improvises before the big contest between Murray's camp and the rich kids camp down the road. It's a moment on film when you could see the mind that developed his great characters on SNL.
I was in college and the University of Wisconsin was not having the best football seasons. WE often cheered " It JUST DOESN'T MATTER, IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER" between body passing and the band flashing out on the field.
Great movie and a lovely love song "Moondust by Terry Black" . Even if you hate this type of movie, watch it just to listen to this song. It's worth it.
Plus who doesn't like a movie about kids and camp.......
