Wikipedia

Meatballs(film)

Meatballsis a 1979 Canadiancomedy filmdirected byIvan Reitman.It is noted forBill Murray's first film appearance in a starring role and for launching the directing career of Reitman, whose later comedies includeStripes(1981) andGhostbusters(1984), both starring Murray.

Meatballs
Theatrical release poster by Morgan Kane
Directed byIvan Reitman
Written by
Produced byDaniel Goldberg
Starring
CinematographyDonald Wilder
Edited byDebra Karen
Music byElmer Bernstein
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • June 29, 1979(1979-06-29)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.6 million or $1.2 million[1]
Box office$70 million[2]

The film was the highest-grossing Canadian film of all time in the United States and Canada, winning theGolden Reel Award.It is the first of six film collaborations between Murray andHarold Ramisand fewsequels,of which onlyMeatballs III: Summer Job(1986) had any connection to the original.

Plot

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Tripper Harrison leads a group of new counsellors-in-training (CITs) at Camp North Star, a cut-ratesummer camplocated inOntario,and leads practical jokes on camp director Morty Melnick, mainly by taking Melnick from his cabin late at night so that he awakens in unusual places.

Rudy Gerner, a lonely boy whose mother died about a year earlier, is sent to summer camp by hisworkaholicfather, but decides to run away. Noticing Rudy is lacking self-confidence, Tripper tracks him to a nearby bus station and takes him under his wing. They rapidly bond as friends after many morning jogs. Tripper helps Rudy gain confidence while starting a romance with Roxanne, the girls' head counsellor. Many of the CITs also find romance: Candace "kidnaps" Crockett in a speedboat and confesses her feelings for him, while Wheels, who had broken up with A.L. the year before, successfully rekindles their relationship during a dance, and the nerdy Spaz falls for thetomboyJackie.

A subplot deals with North Star's rivalry with Camp Mohawk, a wealthy summer camp located across the lake. During a basketball game, North Star is being beaten by Mohawk when they attempt their own perverse form of victory. This sets the stage for the yearlyOlympiadbetween the camps, which Mohawk has won 12 consecutive times.

During the first day of competition, Mohawk dominates North Star, often winning by cheating. Crockett fails to clear the high jump bar, Hardware gets pummelled in boxing, and Jackie suffers a broken ankle infield hockey,thanks to the dirty work of two Mohawk girls. The score at the end of Day One is: Mohawk 170, North Star 63. That evening at the North Star Lodge, Tripper rouses the demoralized campers by explaining that victory or defeat is unimportant. In unison, Camp North Star begins to chant, "It just doesn't matter!" Day Two of the Olympiad belongs to newly inspired North Star as they win every event. Wheels outwrestles his opponent, Spaz defeats Rhino in a stacking contest with inspiration from Jackie and a thwarted Mohawk cheating attempt, and, after 12 years of North Star defeats, Fink finally beats "The Stomach" in the Hot Dog-eating contest. North Star now trails by only 10 points with one event left, a four-milecross country runfor 20 points. Tripper offers to select a surprised Rudy to compete against Horse, Mohawk's star runner. Rudy's many mornings spent jogging and training with Tripper pay off as he wins the race, giving North Star its first Olympiad victory by a score of 230–220.

Later that evening, Morty, Tripper, Roxanne and the CITs sing around a campfire and say their final goodbyes as the camp prepares to close at the end of summer. Rudy has already decided to return to camp next year and Roxanne agrees to live with Tripper. The two ride off on Tripper's motorcycle, leading the buses out of camp and leaving Morty behind, in bed, on a raft in the middle of the lake.

Cast

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Production

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Harold Ramissaid that Reitman did not know for certain whether Murray would be in the film until he showed up for the third day of filming.[3]Eddie Deezenwas approached to play Spaz but declined as he was already committed to1941.[4]

Filming took place atCamp White Pine,on Hurricane Lake, betweenHaliburton and West Guilford, Ontario,in August–September 1978.[5]

Critical response

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Review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoesgives the film a score of 73% based on 37 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "Meatballsis a summer camp comedy with few surprises, but Bill Murray's riffing adds a spark that sets it apart from numerous subpar entries in a frequently uninspired genre ".[6]

Vincent CanbyofThe New York Timeswrote, "With far fewer high spirits thanAnimal House,and only two characters of any interest,Meatballsreveals itself to be a loud, off-key cry for conformism of a most disappointing sort. It's a sheep in wolf's clothing. "[7]Dale PollockofVarietywrote: "Record of tv stars making the transition to feature films is spotty overall, but Bill Murray proves a welcome exception to the rule. TheSaturday Night Liveregular manages to sock overMeatballswith amazing vitality and elan. "[8]

Gene Siskelof theChicago Tribunegave the film 2.5 stars out of four, and stated that it "is pleasant as can be, but there's hardly a belly laugh in it. Murray plays a nice guy counselor who befriends a lonely camper. It's all very sweet, but funny? Not particularly."[9]Kevin Thomasof theLos Angeles Timescalled the film "a fast, funny sendup of summer-camp life" that "is not as all-out raunchy asAnimal House—but it's hilarious in a similar blissfully uncomplicated and nutty way. "[10]Gary Arnold ofThe Washington Postwrote: "Meatballsis as tartly, unpretentiously funny as its title... As the senior boys' counselor, an easygoing role model and spontaneous comic genius, Bill Murray ofSaturday Night Livemakes a deceptively sensational debut as a film comedy star. "[11]Jack KrollofNewsweekremarked that "this film has almost none of the scraggy, raunchy, irreverent anarchy that gaveAnimal Housea kind of perverse anti-style. There's nothing at all perverse aboutMeatballs;in fact, it's so cutesy, squeaky-clean that it becomesAndy Hardywith a few extra belches. "[12]

In 2023, Barry Hertz ofThe Globe and Mailnamed the film as one of the 23 best Canadian comedy films ever made.[13]

Box office

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The film was a surprise hit. It opened in seven theatres in Toronto and grossed $105,635 in its first four days.[14]A week later, it opened on 93 screens in New York, grossing $1.5 million for the week and placing fifth at the US box office.[15][16]It grossed $17.9 million in its first 17 days of national release.[17]The film was the first Canadian film to gross more than $2.5 million in Canada, surpassing 1970'sDeux femmes en or,to become the highest-grossing film of all time, with a gross of $4.2 million, winning theGolden Reel Awardfor the year.[18][19]It also became the highest-grossing Canadian film in the United States,[18]with a combined gross of $43 million in the United States and Canada.[20]It was also the highest-grossing film in the US without any US investment at the time until surpassed byChariots of Firein 1982.[21]The film grossed $70 million worldwide.[2]

Music

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The film's score was written byElmer Bernsteinand several musicians also contributed to the soundtrack, includingMary MacGregor(performing "Good Friend" ),David Naughton(performing "Makin' It",which served as the theme for histitle sitcom,which was cancelled before the film's release), andRick Dees and His Cast of Idiots(performing the title theme "Meatballs" ). "Good Friend" and "Makin' It" made the Billboard and Cashbox pop charts (see below).

Singles

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  • Makin' It(byDavid Naughton) (Billboard,number 5) / Still Makin' It (instrumental of A-side) -- RSO 916—1979
  • Good Friend (byMary MacGregor) (Billboardnumber 39) / Rudy and Tripper (dialogue from film) -- RSO 938—1979

Album

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MeatballsRSO 1-3056 (Billboard,number 170, August 1979)

Side one
  1. "Are You Ready for the Summer" – North Star Camp Kids Chorus
  2. "Rudy and Tripper" (instrumental)
  3. "Makin' It"–David Naughton
  4. "Moondust" – Terry Black
  5. "C.I.T. Song" – Original Cast
Side two
  1. "Good Friend" –Mary MacGregor
  2. "Olympiad" (instrumental)
  3. "Meatballs" –Rick Dees
  4. "Rudy Wins the Race" (instrumental)
  5. "Moondust (Reprise)" – Terry Black
  6. "Are You Ready for the Summer (Reprise)" – North Star Camp Kids Chorus

Home media

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Meatballswas first released onDVDin 1999 byHBO(althoughParamount Pictureswas behind the original theatrical release and the firstVHSandSelectaVisionrelease in the 1980s, and also continues to hold international video rights.)Sony Pictures Entertainmentissued a special-edition DVD (with an anamorphic transfer, adirector's commentary,and a "Making of" featurette) on June 5, 2007. The sequels did not receive the same treatment of re-release. However,Lionsgatereleased theBlu-rayon June 12, 2012 and the DVD reissue on February 22, 2022, which retains the commentary from the Sony DVD but not the featurette.

Sequels

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Meatballswas followed by three sequels:Meatballs Part II(1984),Meatballs III: Summer Job(1986) andMeatballs 4(1992), none of which involved either Reitman or Murray. OnlyMeatballs IIIhad any relation to the story or characters of the original, featuringPatrick Dempseyas Rudy Gerner.

References

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  1. ^Lee, Grant (13 Jan 1979). "FILM CLIPS: Canadians Shooting for the Big Leagues".Los Angeles Times.p. b10.
  2. ^abBrown, Peter H (1985-01-20)."We're Talking Gross, Tacky and Dumb".Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^Martin, Brett (July 2009)."Harold Ramis Gets the Last Laugh".GQ:64–67,124–25. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-01.Retrieved2009-06-22.Bill left Ivan hanging, though. Ivan didn't know if he was going to be there until the day they started shooting.
  4. ^"An Interview with Eddie Deezen - by James L. Neibaur - Rogue Cinema".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-15.
  5. ^Slotek, Jim (2014-05-31)."'Meatballs' celebrates 35th anniversary with a reunion ".Toronto Sun.Retrieved2019-07-06.
  6. ^MeatballsatRotten TomatoesFlixster
  7. ^Canby, Vincent (July 3, 1979)."Screen: Bill Murray in 'Meatballs'".The New York Times.C10.
  8. ^Pollock, Dale (June 27, 1979). "Film Reviews: Meatballs".Variety.18.
  9. ^Siskel, Gene (August 20, 1979). "'Meatballs'—not enough gusto for a main course".Chicago Tribune.Section 4, p. 2.
  10. ^Thomas, Kevin (July 8, 1979). "Was Summer Camp Ever Like This?"Los Angeles Times.Calendar, p. 26.
  11. ^Arnold, Gary (July 11, 1979)."'Animal House' Goes to Camp".The Washington Post.B1.
  12. ^Kroll, Jack (July 9, 1979). "Animal Houses's Kid Brother".Newsweek.68.
  13. ^Barry Hertz,"The 23 best Canadian comedies ever made".The Globe and Mail,June 28, 2023.
  14. ^"Are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the biggest comedy hit of the year? (advertisement)".Variety.July 4, 1979. pp.13–15.
  15. ^"'Meatballs' Nourishing N.Y.; 'Moonraker', $1,000,000, In 29; 'Frisco Kid' 1st Week, $35,000 ".Variety.July 11, 1979. p. 8.
  16. ^"50 Top-Grossing Films".Variety.July 18, 1979. p. 9.
  17. ^Pollock, Dale (August 6, 1979). "Par's Rolling in '79 Fiscal Green".Daily Variety.p. 1.
  18. ^ab"'Meatballs': Canadian Coup Could Gross $50,000,000 ".Variety.November 21, 1979. p. 46.
  19. ^"Canada-Only B.O. Figures".Variety.November 21, 1979. p. 24.
  20. ^"Box Office Information for Meatballs".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedJanuary 28,2012.
  21. ^Cohn, Lawrence (July 7, 1982). "'Chariots of Fire' Becomes Top Import Pic In U.S. B.O. History ".Variety.p. 1.
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