Heavyweights is a great family film, but not one that is ridiculously sentimental as most Dinsey family fare often tends to be.
A group of boys sent to a fat camp for the summer are in for a rude awakening. Though fearful of what kind of physical rigor he might expect from 'fat camp' Gerry, somewhat of the main character here, he is surprised to find that it is mostly fun and games in the summer sun. But when the owners of the paradise (played by husband and wife, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara) sell the camp to psycho fitness fanatic, Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller at his best), life at 'fat camp' becomes pure hell for the boys. Perkis, determined to exploit the boys as the posterchildren of success for his on-going Perkisizer infomercial, takes away from the boys everything that made camp great. For a while, the great times at 'fat camp' made the boys forget their being singled out as something to laugh at.
But when sleazy Tony "I'm everybody's friend in front of the camera" Perkis goes too far in his sadistic ways to make Perkisizer a financial success, the boys (and some of the old camp counselors) get together for a bit of tasty revenge. Don't forget, that it's a Dinsey movie. It may not be as ridiculously sentimental as other family features, but there is always a moral to be learned, and most often, it deals with self-esteem. With the Perkins take over, the campers are stigmatized by their new camp counselor, and particularly by the neighboring camp (Camp MVP). In the course of dealing with Tony, they learn to appreciate themselves.
Viewers who were young enough to enjoy Mighty Ducks and those family films of the early 90s will recognized many of the young actors in this feature. It is one of Kenan Thompson's (from All That) early roles, and he's often proven quite good in comedy. I would say this is probably the best comedy I've seen Stiller in, putting on that deep voice, and acting like an insane fitness guru (get a load of that hair and those workout outfits. However, Thomas Hodges, as the uptight Perkisizing camp counelor, Larrs, is the scene stealer in this movie. (I never get tired of the "you broke my camera" scene during the Perkizing reformation montage). He's my favorite character, indeed.
It's good laughs all around, and one that I never get tired of. Being that Disney never seems to tire of airing it on television, it is also likely, too, that there is ample opportunity to catch it (at least as of this writing). So get out there and start Perkisizing!
A group of boys sent to a fat camp for the summer are in for a rude awakening. Though fearful of what kind of physical rigor he might expect from 'fat camp' Gerry, somewhat of the main character here, he is surprised to find that it is mostly fun and games in the summer sun. But when the owners of the paradise (played by husband and wife, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara) sell the camp to psycho fitness fanatic, Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller at his best), life at 'fat camp' becomes pure hell for the boys. Perkis, determined to exploit the boys as the posterchildren of success for his on-going Perkisizer infomercial, takes away from the boys everything that made camp great. For a while, the great times at 'fat camp' made the boys forget their being singled out as something to laugh at.
But when sleazy Tony "I'm everybody's friend in front of the camera" Perkis goes too far in his sadistic ways to make Perkisizer a financial success, the boys (and some of the old camp counselors) get together for a bit of tasty revenge. Don't forget, that it's a Dinsey movie. It may not be as ridiculously sentimental as other family features, but there is always a moral to be learned, and most often, it deals with self-esteem. With the Perkins take over, the campers are stigmatized by their new camp counselor, and particularly by the neighboring camp (Camp MVP). In the course of dealing with Tony, they learn to appreciate themselves.
Viewers who were young enough to enjoy Mighty Ducks and those family films of the early 90s will recognized many of the young actors in this feature. It is one of Kenan Thompson's (from All That) early roles, and he's often proven quite good in comedy. I would say this is probably the best comedy I've seen Stiller in, putting on that deep voice, and acting like an insane fitness guru (get a load of that hair and those workout outfits. However, Thomas Hodges, as the uptight Perkisizing camp counelor, Larrs, is the scene stealer in this movie. (I never get tired of the "you broke my camera" scene during the Perkizing reformation montage). He's my favorite character, indeed.
It's good laughs all around, and one that I never get tired of. Being that Disney never seems to tire of airing it on television, it is also likely, too, that there is ample opportunity to catch it (at least as of this writing). So get out there and start Perkisizing!
