User reviews

Twenty something camp counselors stumbled through their responsibilities and let their libidos run wild. Not much in the substance department but the key is Meatballs was one of the first films of the raunchy comedy genre. Another likely first is the Spaz character, the stereotypical nerd with the taped glasses. This type of character ended up in countless teen comedies. Bill Murray is gold and there are plenty of laughs as well as some touching moments. Lots of nostalgia here for me.

'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!

I just saw this for the first time in 10 or 15 years...maybe close to 20. In some ways, it was better than I remembered...in other, it was MUCH worse.

First of all, there's the music. It's just plain awful. There are only 5 songs in the movie, most of them used more than once. The opening song is shrieked by a chorus of annoying children, and the disco-y title track is performed by Rick Dees. It doesn't get any worse than that. Even the background music is terrible, with much of it repeating the themes of the other nauseating tunes. We also get some truly lame slapstick, mostly in the opening credits.

On the other hand, Bill Murray is spot on brilliant as usual...you have to wonder if he ad-libbed the whole thing, or if the writers just gave him all the funny lines. Or maybe he's just that great- turning a weak script into comic genius. The best part are his surreal PA announcements. ("Lobsters...get out of here...you're a menace!")

You also get a lot more character development than you have any right to expect in a movie like this. At least half the characters seem like real people...and mostly real people you would like to have around. Even "Spaz" gets to do a more than any other Eddie Deezen-type character ever did, and when he gets the girl, it's plausible. (She's not absurdly hot, but he doesn't automatically pair up with one of the nerd girls- see "Revenge Of The Nerds" for examples of both cinematic phenomenons.)

And when the plot seems clichéd...well, ya gotta wonder if it wasn't a cliché yet when they made this. While it wasn't the first summer camp movie- ya gotta go back at least to "The Parent Trap"- it's certainly the movie that made it it's own genre. In fact, I was surprised that there was no Talent Show scene..."Wet Hot American Summer" spoofed the summer-camp genre so perfectly, I just assumed everything in it came straight out of Meatballs. (I also half-expected Jon Cryer to pull up in a convertible with a chimp, thanks to "Mr. Show's" epic camp-olympiad spoof "Monk Academy")

Anyway, this one seems to be vanishing a little as far as the late-70's/early 80's comedies- it's not a cable staple anymore, and certainly doesn't have the cult following of Caddyshack or Animal House. I was pleased to catch it on Showtime today- and in High Definition at that! Sure, it's pretty awful in spots, but you could do a lot worse in a 70's/80's teen comedy. And again, Murray is a genius.

I rarely even bother to watch comedic movies or television these days. They're insipid, vulgar, and, most importantly, not funny. This one could be seen as a refreshing blast from the past. It's worth watching, and I don't believe it would be dated in any significant way. Classic humor is classic humor, and good writing is good writing regardless of the era in which created.

I would love to see this film again; it came to mind after having seen the somewhat similar "Summer School" on television recently. Like that slightly newer film, "Meatballs" is funny without being cruel, overly sexual or indulging in bathroom humor. The key, of course, is how the adult character makes such a difference in the life of the teen character -- maybe even a virtually life-saving change -- and how they both grow up in the space of a summer.

Probably of more appeal to those who went to summer camp during the 70s and 80s, the value is high for anyone seeking a hit of nostalgia. It's more amusing than laugh out loud funny, and the plot follows a standard road in a fairly loose fashion. Bill Murray in his first starring role makes this a more interesting watch, as does the realisation that it was filmed during an actual camp season.

Meatballs brought together Bill Murray and director Ivan Reitman. It also had Harold Ramis as co writer.

Trip Harrison (Bill Murray) is a slacker camp counsellor at Camp North Star, a summer camp for kids.

He is in charge of Counsellors-in-Training. Instead he is busy flirting with fellow counsellor Roxanne. He also has a rapport with lonely kid Rudy who does not like playing soccer. Trip also plays tricks on the camp's director, Morty. Every morning Morty wakes up somewhere strange.

The film culminates with Camp North Star taking on a rival in a competition where they have not beaten them for years. This time the kids are spurred on by Trip's irreverent attitude 'It just doesn't matter.'

Meatballs has a thin story. It does have some innuendo but the comedy is more kid friendly than raunchy.

The comedy relies more on Murray's charisma who made his film debut. It is a bit of a mixed bag.

I can hardly call this a great film but it is entertaining. In my case I, at the time this film was released, was the same age as some of the junior campers in the film. For me watching this film brings back the memories of my camp years. While some of the pranks that takes place in this movie, like carrying the camp director out in his bed and leaving him on the side of a road, strung up in the trees or out on a lake, are a bit over the top some of the other pranks are not. When I went to camp the campers and counselors pulled similar stunts such as running underwear up the flag pole, canoe battles and boys raiding the girls cabin. As I grew older I realized these night raids to the girls cabin that I participated in were carefully orchestrated by the counselors so that we wouldn't find the girls in embarrassing situations but at the time I thought it was real and it was fun. That's what MEATBALLS (MB) is.

MB captures not only the scenic beauty of camp surroundings but the beauty of being young and carefree. MB give a great example of pre-teens, teens and young adults living their summer with no concerns other than guys hooking up with girls and girls hooking up with guys and booth having as much fun as they can before they head back to junior high & high school and college. The opening title song that goes "Are you ready for the summer?...no more homework no more books, no more teachers dirty looks..." describes exactly how summer is viewed by school kids.

I personally enjoyed the two campers Spaz and Fink. What boy, nerd or jock, didn't spend all camp trying to cozy up to some pretty girl camper? What guy didn't want to be accepted by the other campers and counselors? While these two characters are somewhat over the top I bet everybody who watches the film can't help but to like these two guys. These two characters are a mix of Charlie Brown from PEANUTS and Jack Tripper & Larry Dallas from THREE'S COMPANY. I would bet that most viewers even cheer for Spaz in the egg carrying competition and for Fink as he attempts to "beat the stomach" in the hot dog eating contest.

Lastly, this movie had normal looking kids and counselors. No super models for counselors or campers that wore trendy clothing. It is fun to just kick back and watch this film and remember when life was as fun as this movie.

Bill Murray (who was 28 during shooting) stars as an eccentrically droll camp counselor at Camp North Star who "trains" CITs, counselors-in-training, as they oversee the hordes of kids and face challenges with teams from preppy Camp Mohawk.

"Meatballs" (1979) is a fun and innocuous summer camp flick. It's not great but it's entertaining enough, although if I'm going to view a summer camp film I prefer the Friday the 13th movies (practically any of them), mainly because they feature superior women. Here, Cindy Girling as curvy blonde Wendy is by far the most alluring, although Sarah Torgov as Candace is decent.

In light of the license plates, the camp is presumably located in upstate New York, but was shot in Camp White Pine, Haliburton, Ontario, which is only about 125 miles from the New York border.

The movie runs 1 hour, 34 minutes.

GRADE: B/B-

Kristine DeBell could have been one of the greatest American actresses ever, if it had not been for her hardcore performance in "Alice in Wonderland" that ruined her career when it was later released in cassette. Although her role in this film is minor, when she is on the screen, this movie sparkles, when she is not, you just wonder, "why was not she given the romantic female lead of Roxanne?".

Well, we can only speculate on what might have been--I'll sure miss you Kristine.

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!

This film was better than I actually thought it would be. For this being bill murrys first starring role it was interesting. This film shows that even from the very first time he was destined to be a star and he is both funny and heltfelt in his role here. The film has a good mix of comedy and emotion and I feel the kid actors and others also did really good at their jobs. I feel like this movie was a starting point to the national lampoon type movies and the hijinks the characters get up to resonate some of that. A lot of kids and adults alike can understand the characters and what they are going through and what it means to go to summer camp. Overall and enjoyable comedy and the start of the careers of many break out stars.

I loved this movie when I saw it at the theater when it came out, but I was 13 and not very discriminating. Watched it many times in the early days of cable and had the CIT song memorized (still do).

Just watched it again about 44 years later and didn't even smile once.

Bill Murray is obviously trying hard to be funny, but there's not much to work with here. I think Harold Ramis is an underrated comic genius, but he was no help on this script.

Most of the cast had no real acting ability, so the lackluster writing showed through in a big way.

Several of the "scenes" are awkward and even uncomfortable to watch, including the "hilarious" sexual assault spoof.

Not really worth watching, to be honest, unless you're a Murray completist. Also, the songs in this movie are nearly incomprehensible bad.

If you take the movie for what it is worth, you won't be disappointed. If you think Murray is supposed to win an Oscar for his performance and that is the type of movie you are expecting, don't bother. It was funny when I saw it in 1979 and hasn't lost its charm. Good clean fun for the kids and mindless entertainment for the older folks. The story line is simple and easy to follow. Murray has done better, but this is his first film. The movie reminds me of a time when we didn't need blood and guts to be entertained. Morty is the head dunce and plays the part perfect. The other counselors are typical revved up teens looking to have fun during the summer. One nice thing about this movie, it has a message.

Meatballs (1979) is a movie that I recently rewatched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a summer camp and its new class. The class includes a young man's first summer camp who could use the help of the main counselor to feel comfortable, have relations with girls and have a good time...he has the perfect camp counselor to make that happen.

This movie is directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) and stars Bill Murray (Stripes), Harvey Atkin (Heavy Metal), Kate Lynch (Taking Care), Kristine DeBell (I Wanna Hold Your Hand), Jack Blum (Babyface) and Keith Knight (My Bloody Valentine).

This is a classic 1980s Bill Murray performance where he owns the screen with his unique mannerisms and brand of comedy. The scenarios, interactions, circumstances and various outcomes felt realistic and make the audience feel like they were there. This is one of those movies that could never end and you'd be happy. The comedic content is inconsistent, campy, cheesy but makes you smile a lot. I adored the arrival scene and how it displays the nervousness and excitement of arriving at summer camp perfectly. The song for that scene was perfect too. The ending sporting events were predictable but fun too - loved the wrestling and basketball games. Murray riding off into the sunset was the only way this movie could end.

Overall, this is a classic 80s gem that is an absolute must see. I would score this a 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

... The reason I like this movie so much is because of the spirit it has. It's a genial summer camp movie, so the jokes aren't mean minded in a lasting way that makes one character the permanent butt of ridicule. Pranks do take place, but you get the feeling that the respective fall-guys would be able to look back and laugh, having been dopey enough to fall for them - and without being too cheesy, it's actually kinda nice that everyone still remains friends in the end!

It's an extra special bonus when the ringmaster of all these jolly japes is Bill Murray. For me, he's still looked upon as the comedy god without peer when he gets a chance to cut loose. No one's better at generating a sense of freewheeling wacky anarchy without really hurting anyone. The tone of the entire film has the same style as its leading man, established with a great opening scene showing the Murray way of getting ready for the day. Everything's silly, yes, but more important than behaving like an adult is to have a whole lot of good-natured fun. "Meatballs" promises such and ultimately delivers a nourishing watch.

Stripes, an army training camp comedy starring Bill Murray and directed by Ivan Reitman, is a favourite of mine. Meatballs, a summer camp 'romp' starring Bill Murray and directed by Ivan Reitman, is a complete waste of time. It takes a considerable effort for four screenwriters to produce a movie (the word 'comedy' infers a work with mirth aforethought) as witless, anaemic and boring as this.

Murray evidently reached the same conclusion during filming, but his usually reliable powers of improvisation escape him and his flailing attempts to inject life into proceedings just add to the embarrassment - the "It really doesn't matter" chanting scene is excruciating. It doesn't help that the supporting cast is bereft of talent - the funniest thing about them is their hair, but then Meatballs was made in 1979. ("And introducing Chris Makepeace as Rudy" announce the opening credits. No, not THE Chris Makepeace?!).

Mercifully, Reitman rectified his mistake two years later for Stripes. Murray's shtick is so much funnier when he's larking around with the likes of John Candy, Warren Oates and John Larroquette. Ditch this and watch that.

Seeing this movie always reminds me of what I remember summer being like, God! such a long time ago. The entire scene involving the "overnight", from the canoe procession to the end of the trip, is precious, and Tripper's story about the homicidal maniac is urban legend right out of my youth. A highly entertaining movie, made many times better by the awful sequels that followed.

I don't recall seeing Meatballs when I was younger (although some of the scenes looked familiar) and so I decided to watch it tonight. This was Murray's first leading film role and he does a nice job of creating a perpetually funny, wisecracking camp counselor who among other things befriends one of the less popular kids and helps him to feel good about himself. A lot of pranks and highjinkx take place at this camp and of course there is a rivalry with another camp just across the lake. Overall, Meatballs is a pleasant, feel good film and I suspect that younger audiences (10-18) will enjoy this to a far greater degree than myself or most adults.

Completely ordinary movie about an exclusive camp called Camp Mohawk. The program director Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray) provides most of the "comedy" as we see predictable PG rated shenanigans of the kids. We also get two violent, unfunny and stupid games with rival camps. To make it worse they throw in yawningly predictable romances and Murray helping a young kid (Chris Makepeace) come out of his shell.

For some reason this was a huge hit and made Murray a star. I can't see why--I didn't even smile, let alone laugh, once. None of the bits are funny--just boring or raunchy (in a PG way). Murray's pronouncements over the camp's loudspeaker are eye-rollingly bad. In fact I never liked Murray. He's just not funny! This isn't a total washout. It was well-done and the acting (Murray aside) was pretty good. Kate Lynch especially was good. Also the good song played at the camp social--"Makin' It"--was later used as the theme song of a similar named TV series. For this I give it a 3 but it just wasn't funny at all. If you like Murray you probably will like this. If not, stay away. Give me "Little Darlings" over this any day.

Meatballs is a great, feel-good movie. The first time I saw this movie was 1981 on HBO. I was 13 and loving every moment. I just finished watching it again, thanks to the 50+ movie channels satellite offers these days.

Anyways, not only is Meatballs the excellent feel-good movie every young boy and 30 something should watch, it reminds me of the times I had in summer camp when was 7-10 years old. Bill Murray really makes the movie, as does "Rudy." The movie really shows how boys and girls did act at summer camp. Now, my summer camps were all church summer camps, but as young kids we all wanted the same things; to be accepted by others and fit in, and to have a shot at holding a girl's hand and maybe getting a kiss. those times were always great.

Thanks to Ivan Reitman, we have a movie to ensure rekindling of great memories and laughs.