Meatballs III: Summer Job

I can't believe the myriad of negative comments and reviews I've seen for "Meatballs III". It, like most other Canadian summer-camp movies, are meant to provide cheap laughs in a stupid way and weren't really made for people to analyze the plot, character development, etc. If you don't like sophomoric humor, then you should have known better than to watch it in the first place. Not everybody likes the trite, dry, boring humor of typical big-production films. Movies like "Meatballs III" provide relief from such ennui.

I remember seeing "Meatballs III" on USA back around 1990, and have loved it since, especially because back then I was still a teenager and this is the kind of movie that a teenage boy would probably like. I remember while watching it my mom came downstairs and told me to turn off "that garbage", and I liked it even more.

On a side note, there was an episode of SNL (when Jeff Goldblum hosted) in 1993 where David Spade, as Karl the video store clerk, recommends "Meatballs III" to Rob Schneider. Of course I had to laugh at that.

Really bad movie, it would have been more enjoyable smashing myself in the face.

I turned it off after a while

Sally Kellerman manages to totally debase herself, but nobody really shines in this movie that demonstrates they should have stopped at #1.

I used to think Meatballs III was the best in the series. But after a while, I realized I was wrong. None of the films are actually all that funny, save Bill Murray's humor as head camp counselor in the first film with much of the funniest lines being that which he calls over the loud speakers.

Part II involved some kind of Martian thing hiding among the campers. It was hardly funny at all, and possibly the only saving grace was Paul Rubens.

Part IV stars Corey Feldman, and well, you know what a horrible movie that turns out to be right there.

Part III was never like a camp counselor movie. Dempsey plays a hopeless teenager working at a summer hot spot. As a nerdy kid, he's desperate for a girlfriend, which requires the guide of a ghost woman played by Sally Kellerman. Poor Dempsey, he falls in love with the beautiful wife of a giant biker with a knack for tossing guys out of the window. In fact, it starts up a contest among the locals--how long would it take for brave young contender making his way to the wife's bedroom before that monster biker tosses him out of the window.

This is more like a movie that could be, if at all, appreciated by fans of Patrick Dempsey's 80s work. Although, I'd consider myself a fan of his earlier work and still don't enjoy this movie. It's not really all that funny outside of a few minor antics and the quirky attitude of Sally Kellerman.

Sally Kellerman has been in some good stuff ("Serial", "Foxes", "The Boston Strangler").

Then there's "Meatballs III"...and this stuff ain't good.

You see, Kellerman plays a deceased porn star whose only ticket into heaven is to help a hopeless nerd (Dempsey) lose his virginity at summer camp.

This is a Canadian tax write-off (as if you couldn't tell from Waxman in the credits) and it shows from the writing right down to the witless sight gags (dropping trou here is as sophisticated as it gets). Don't get all huffy, now: I like Canadian movies as much as the next guy, but not when they're this stupid.

What else can you say about a movie that under-utilizes Shannon Tweed as much as this one does?

Nothing good, that's for sure.

No stars for this one. Maybe someone should write Jason Voorhees to move to this camp.... Anyone got his address?