Meatballs - Porcelloni in vacanza

I don't understand why Meatballs III ranks in the bottom 100. It isn't a Kubrick film nor is it Star Wars, but it never intended to be. Meatballs III is, very simply, a summer "camp" B-movie infused with a dose of teenage humor. I enjoy it and even own it on videotape because the film's premise is hilarious and it plays out well. (I didn't pay much for the used tape, though.) In fact, I think it is more entertaining than half of what makes it into the movie theaters from Hollywood.

The movie is entertaining because the premise is so outrageous you can't believe anyone made a film out of it. Also, I enjoy the antics of the outrageous, ogre-ish "Mean Gene" who owns the marina.

If you just want to relax with a few beers and don't mind drek if its done decently and doesn't pretend to be anything other than drek, then you might enjoy this movie.

I voted a 7 for it because it is pretty decent as far as B-movies go. I did not rank it on the same scale that I would use for a more serious movie or a big budget Hollywood film.

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

I turned it off after a while

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.

Rudy Gerner (Patrick Dempsey) gets a summer job in upstate New York at a river "resort" on the St. Lawrence River wherein a strange woman (Sally Kellerman) helps him with his pursuits of the fairer sex.

"Meatballs III: Summer Job" was shot in the summer of 1984, but not released until early 1987 due to the difficulty of apprehending a distributer after the box office failure of "Meatballs Part II" (1984). Of the three sequels this is the only one with connections to the original 1979 film in that Rudy, the mentee of Tripper (Bill Murray), is 2-3 years older and focused on girls. Tripper doesn't appear in this one, but Rudy reads a letter from him.

The flick is a mixture of the original "Meatballs" with the goofiness and biker gang of the beach party films of the '60s, plus the raunchiness of "Porky's" (1981). It's that last part that ruins the movie for me, although it's thankfully not AS crude. In short, this is "Meatballs" minus the innocence. Another negative is the eye-rolling competition involving bedding the marina owner's woman upstairs (Shannon Tweed).

Nevertheless, Dempsey makes for a quality protagonist and the subplot of the porn star (Kellerman) having to come back from the other side to do a genuine good deed is amusing, reminiscent of the quirkiness of a Woody Allen flick. Moreover, the coming-of-age element is compelling.

There are several nubile females with winsome Isabelle Mejias playing the girl interested in Rudy, Wendy. For a superior movie featuring Isabelle, check out the similar "State Park" (1988).

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Hudson, Quebec, with some stuff done west of there in Ontario.

GRADE: C.

Yes it's camp, cheesy & corny nonetheless far away to be bad, 3.5 rating it means that many bitters placed lowest rating like 1-2 out 10, it conceals the downgrading so deeply, quite sure something around 5.5 shall be more appropriated, of Meatballs franchise I just watched this third sequel and fourth only, starting by the premise is shallow however effective at its proposal, all those gorgeous girls in a summer spot on soft sexploitation oriented delivers all the audience really expected.

The leading casting Sally Kellerman as porn film star died on action going into heaven has a final task back earth as spirit to be accepted there is clever purpose, the newbie Patrick Dempsey at his major role is plenty suitable, many funny sequences come over, mainly the filthy character Mean Geane (George Busa) was a right choice and his buddy Huey the Rat's leader (Maury Chaykin) as well, the producers have staked in the teenager offering as much near of PORKY's influence, the famous Shannon Tweed as Love Goddess just appearing at last sequence was a wasting.

It had a smashing success in Brazil aired many times on TV, in nineties it was released in VHS format only, unfortunately until now never come out in DVD, praying for it with dubbed classic version the entire franchise, fully restored of course, don't be fooled by the haters it's a funniest teenager entertainment that worthwhile revisit.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1993 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 5.5.