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:

The movie was filmed at an actual summer camp, Camp White Pine, in Haliburton, Ontario (a few hours north of Toronto). Many of the extras in the film were actual campers and counselors of the camp; most if not all locations were actual camp facilities (basketball courts, mess hall, swim docks, cabins, etc.). The "Visitors Day" scene/montage was actually filmed during the camp's Visitors Day; White Pine also had a similar yearly event to the "Olympiad" -- although rather than being a inter-camp competition, it was an intra-camp relay-type competition that was just part of an overall all-day themed event. These competitions were nicknamed "Mohawk Relays", perhaps serving as inspiration for the name of the rival camp in the movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the Olympiad softball game, one of the girls on the North Star team tells her teammate to hit the ball to the Mohawk outfielder with "big boobs" because she can't catch. When the ball is hit to the buxom outfielder, it appears to fall into her shirt on the fly, which would cause the ball to become dead and each runner would be awarded two bases.

Quotes:

Tripper: Roxanne, I have what doctors call "very active glands." You're the first person I've told, my folks don't even know.
Roxanne: Well, maybe you can have surgery without them knowing.
Tripper: Awww, heck with surgery! Let's wrestle!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'My Super Ex-Girlfriend' (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Best Friend

A must see before entering the season of summer!

Meatballs has been a main staple in my family for over 26 years! We saw this movie when it first came out and have seen it dozens of times since. Bill Murray is at his best and is most touching in the scenes where he reaches out to a lonely pre-teen boy and befriends him, while leading his CIT's into once mischievous scheme after another! The cast of characters are fun and zany and you really come to care about them and the relationships they have with each other. This is not another sleazy, dumb, teen sex-fest. It is funny and sweet and just all-around fun. Anyone who sees this will enjoy themselves. It is a must-see. Watch out for Spaz - he is by far the best character! (Especially during the camp social - while Bill Murray hams it up for the camera - just watch Spaz behind him dancing with the poor girl he picks to dance with!) By far, one of my very favorite comedies of all time!