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Heavyweights

March 08, 2023

This article is about the film. For the album by Sal Nistico, see Heavyweights (album).

Heavyweights is a 1995 American black comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Brill with Judd Apatow. The film follows a fat camp for kids that is taken over by a fitness guru named Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller).

Heavyweights
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteven Brill
Written bySteven Brill
Judd Apatow
Produced byRoger Birnbaum
Joe Roth
Morgan Michael Fottrell
Charles J.D. Schlissel
Jack Giarraputo
Starring
CinematographyVictor Hammer
Edited byCarroll Timothy O'Meara
Music byJ. A. C. Redford
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • February 17, 1995 (1995-02-17)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$17.6 million[1]

Plot

When school ends for the summer, Gerry Garner’s parents send him to Camp Hope, a weight loss camp for boys. Initially reluctant, Gerry meets enthusiastic camp counselor Pat, and befriends the other campers, who have smuggled in enough junk food for the entire summer. The first night at Camp Hope brings the revelation that the original owners, the Bushkins, have declared bankruptcy and the camp has been bought by fitness entrepreneur Tony Perkis Jr, who plans to transform the camp’s weight loss program into a best-selling infomercial.

Tony replaces the camp’s beloved activities, including go-karts and ”the Blob”, with a punishing exercise regimen. Pat is replaced by the strict new counselor Lars, and the campers endure a painful softball game against their more athletic, over-competitive rivals, Camp MVP. When Tony purges the cabins’ hidden food caches, camper Josh stands up for Gerry by taunting Tony, and is sent home without a refund, which prompts the other campers to theorize about what happened to Josh after this. Tony arranges a dance with Camp Magnolia, a girls’ summer camp, to humiliate the boys into losing weight, but counselors Tim, Pat, and camp nurse Julie convince everyone to enjoy themselves together. Josh returns to Camp Hope, revealing that his father, a lawyer, threatened to sue Tony for kicking his son out without a refund.

Gerry and his friends sneak into Tony’s office in search of their confiscated snacks, and learn that Tony has intercepted all the campers’ letters to their families, including the letter that Gerry wrote to his grandmother. They discover a secret food stash used by most of the camp, leading them to gain weight, and Tony forces the boys on a twenty-mile hike, preparing to endanger their lives for the sake of fitness. The boys trick Tony into falling into a pit, and imprison him at camp in a makeshift cell, electrified with a bug zapper. With Pat, Julie, and Tim on their side, the campers take back control of Camp Hope, tying up Lars in the woods with Tony’s other counselors, and celebrating with a binge eating bonfire party. Tony's counselors, who are foreign, ultimately side with the campers due to threats of deportation.

The next morning, Pat rallies the campers to take responsibility for themselves and start losing weight, and they all start a healthier regimen while making Camp Hope fun again. The boys’ parents arrive for visiting day and are shown a video documenting Tony’s cruelty, which is interrupted by Tony, having escaped his cell. Exchanging blows with Gerry’s father, he attempts a series of backflips but knocks himself out. As Tony is taken away, his own father (a Western Pennsylvania lamp store guru whose fortune Tony uses to buy and fund the camp) arrives and promises to refund everyone’s money, but announces that the camp will be closed. The boys ask for the camp to stay open, and Pat – with eighteen years’ experience and the support of Gerry and the others – agrees to assume responsibility for Camp Hope.

Under Pat’s leadership, the campers restore their favorite activities, and prepare to face Camp MVP in their annual competition. Camp MVP takes the lead in the first event, an obstacle course, but Camp Hope catches up in the second round, a test of knowledge. In the final go-kart race, Gerry wins the competition for Camp Hope. Demonstrating that having fun is more important than winning, Pat throws the trophy in the lake, and seals his romance with Julie with a kiss. As Camp Hope celebrates their victory, Gerry thanks Pat for the best summer of his life.

In a post-credits scene, Tony has become an unsuccessful door-to-door salesman selling healing crystals.

Cast

Production

Heavyweights was filmed over the course of two months in North Carolina at 2 separate camps, Camp Pinnacle[2] and Camp Ton-A-Wandah.[3] Filming started on March 28, 1994 and finished on May 25, 1994.

Soundtrack

The film's original score was composed by J.A.C. Redford.[4] A soundtrack was not released, but the film featured eleven songs:[5]

Reception

Heavyweights received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 29% based on 7 reviews, with an average score of 4.80/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film received a score of 42 based on 16 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A−" on scale of A to F.[9]

According to Stephen Holden of The New York Times, "Heavyweights is really two movies in one, and they don't mesh. One movie is a no-holds-barred spoof of a Tony Little- or Susan Powter-style fitness merchant [...] The other movie is a conventional family comedy that pokes lighthearted fun at the chubby young campers."[10]

In 2012, on the release of the Blu-ray, critic Brian Ordorff gave the film a grade "B" and wrote: "Time has been kind to the discarded fat camp movie, finding Heavyweights more digestible these days, after years spent processing the askew sense of humor shared by Apatow and Company."[11]

Box office

The film made $17.6 million at box office and was not successful theatrically, though the film has garnered a cult following.[2][12]

Home media

Heavyweights was released on VHS on August 15, 1995, LaserDisc on February 20, 1996, and released on DVD on March 4, 2003. Heavyweights was released on Blu-ray on December 11, 2012.[13] It was also included on Disney+ in November 2019.

References

  1. ^ Heavyweights at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ a b Garner, Glenn (February 20, 2022). "Judd Apatow Marks 27th Anniversary of His First Movie Heavyweights with '90s Throwbacks". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  3. ^ "Summer Camp!". Roadtrippers. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  4. ^ "Heavyweights soundtrack". soundtrackinfo.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  5. ^ "Heavyweights Soundtrack [1995]". what-song. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  6. ^ Heayweights Camp Song, retrieved July 24, 2022
  7. ^ Heavyweights at Rotten Tomatoes
  8. ^ "Heavyweights (1995)". Metacritic. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  9. ^ . Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  10. ^ "FILM REVIEW; Spoofing the TV Gurus of Fitness". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  11. ^ Brian Ordorff (December 12, 2012). "Heavyweights Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com.
  12. ^ Massengale, Jeremiah. "Lighthearted Humor at Fat Camp: Heavyweights". PopMatters. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  13. ^ "Heavyweights Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved April 4, 2017.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Heavyweights.

March 08, 2023
heavyweights, this, article, about, film, album, nistico, album, 1995, american, black, comedy, film, directed, steven, brill, written, brill, with, judd, apatow, film, follows, camp, kids, that, taken, over, fitness, guru, named, tony, perkis, stiller, theatr. This article is about the film For the album by Sal Nistico see Heavyweights album Heavyweights is a 1995 American black comedy film directed by Steven Brill and written by Brill with Judd Apatow The film follows a fat camp for kids that is taken over by a fitness guru named Tony Perkis Ben Stiller HeavyweightsTheatrical release posterDirected bySteven BrillWritten bySteven BrillJudd ApatowProduced byRoger BirnbaumJoe RothMorgan Michael FottrellCharles J D SchlisselJack GiarraputoStarringTom McGowan Aaron Schwartz Shaun Weiss Tom Hodges Leah Lail Paul Feig Kenan Thompson David Bowe Max Goldblatt Robert Zalkind Patrick LaBrecque Jeffrey Tambor Jerry Stiller Anne Meara Ben StillerCinematographyVictor HammerEdited byCarroll Timothy O MearaMusic byJ A C RedfordProductioncompaniesWalt Disney PicturesCaravan PicturesDistributed byBuena Vista Pictures DistributionRelease dateFebruary 17 1995 1995 02 17 Running time100 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office 17 6 million 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Soundtrack 5 Reception 5 1 Box office 6 Home media 7 References 8 External linksPlot EditWhen school ends for the summer Gerry Garner s parents send him to Camp Hope a weight loss camp for boys Initially reluctant Gerry meets enthusiastic camp counselor Pat and befriends the other campers who have smuggled in enough junk food for the entire summer The first night at Camp Hope brings the revelation that the original owners the Bushkins have declared bankruptcy and the camp has been bought by fitness entrepreneur Tony Perkis Jr who plans to transform the camp s weight loss program into a best selling infomercial Tony replaces the camp s beloved activities including go karts and the Blob with a punishing exercise regimen Pat is replaced by the strict new counselor Lars and the campers endure a painful softball game against their more athletic over competitive rivals Camp MVP When Tony purges the cabins hidden food caches camper Josh stands up for Gerry by taunting Tony and is sent home without a refund which prompts the other campers to theorize about what happened to Josh after this Tony arranges a dance with Camp Magnolia a girls summer camp to humiliate the boys into losing weight but counselors Tim Pat and camp nurse Julie convince everyone to enjoy themselves together Josh returns to Camp Hope revealing that his father a lawyer threatened to sue Tony for kicking his son out without a refund Gerry and his friends sneak into Tony s office in search of their confiscated snacks and learn that Tony has intercepted all the campers letters to their families including the letter that Gerry wrote to his grandmother They discover a secret food stash used by most of the camp leading them to gain weight and Tony forces the boys on a twenty mile hike preparing to endanger their lives for the sake of fitness The boys trick Tony into falling into a pit and imprison him at camp in a makeshift cell electrified with a bug zapper With Pat Julie and Tim on their side the campers take back control of Camp Hope tying up Lars in the woods with Tony s other counselors and celebrating with a binge eating bonfire party Tony s counselors who are foreign ultimately side with the campers due to threats of deportation The next morning Pat rallies the campers to take responsibility for themselves and start losing weight and they all start a healthier regimen while making Camp Hope fun again The boys parents arrive for visiting day and are shown a video documenting Tony s cruelty which is interrupted by Tony having escaped his cell Exchanging blows with Gerry s father he attempts a series of backflips but knocks himself out As Tony is taken away his own father a Western Pennsylvania lamp store guru whose fortune Tony uses to buy and fund the camp arrives and promises to refund everyone s money but announces that the camp will be closed The boys ask for the camp to stay open and Pat with eighteen years experience and the support of Gerry and the others agrees to assume responsibility for Camp Hope Under Pat s leadership the campers restore their favorite activities and prepare to face Camp MVP in their annual competition Camp MVP takes the lead in the first event an obstacle course but Camp Hope catches up in the second round a test of knowledge In the final go kart race Gerry wins the competition for Camp Hope Demonstrating that having fun is more important than winning Pat throws the trophy in the lake and seals his romance with Julie with a kiss As Camp Hope celebrates their victory Gerry thanks Pat for the best summer of his life In a post credits scene Tony has become an unsuccessful door to door salesman selling healing crystals Cast EditAaron Schwartz as Gerald Gerry Garner Ben Stiller as Tony Perkis Jr Tony Perkis Sr Tony s father Tom McGowan as Patrick Pat Finley Tim Blake Nelson as Roger Johnson Jeffrey Tambor as Maury Garner Joseph Wayne Miller as Samuel Salami Sam Dampier Jerry Stiller as Harvey Bushkin Anne Meara as Alice Bushkin Shaun Weiss as Josh Birnbaum Kenan Thompson as Roy Murphy David Bowe as Chris Donnelly Leah Lail as Julie Belcher Paul Feig as Tim Orford Tom Hodges as Lars Max Goldblatt as Phillip Grubenov Robert Zalkind as Michael Simms Patrick La Brecque as Dawson Nancy Ringham as Mrs Garner Allen Covert as Kenny Parry the cameraman Cody Burger as Cody Farley David Goldman as Nicholas Wales Judd Apatow as Homer Schulz Lauren Michelle Hill as Josie the angelic girl Peter Berg as the chef uncredited Production EditHeavyweights was filmed over the course of two months in North Carolina at 2 separate camps Camp Pinnacle 2 and Camp Ton A Wandah 3 Filming started on March 28 1994 and finished on May 25 1994 Soundtrack EditThe film s original score was composed by J A C Redford 4 A soundtrack was not released but the film featured eleven songs 5 Song Written by Performed by Closer to Free Sam Llanas and Kurt Neumann BoDeans Le Freak Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers Chic Saturday Night Bill Martin and Phil Coulter The Bay City Rollers You Sexy Thing Errol Brown Hot Chocolate Love Machine Warren Moore and William Griffin The Miracles Hang Tough Allen Toussaint Crescent City Gold Set the Wheels in Motion Barbara Keith The Stone Coyotes I Want Candy Bert Berns Robert Feldman Richard Gottehrer and Jerry Goldstein Bow Wow Wow Blue Danube Johann Strauss Thieving Magpies Gioachino Rossini Camp Hope Concerto 6 Paul Feig Paul Feig and The Camp Hope KidsReception EditHeavyweights received mixed reviews from critics On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 29 based on 7 reviews with an average score of 4 80 10 7 On Metacritic the film received a score of 42 based on 16 reviews indicating mixed or average reviews 8 Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A on scale of A to F 9 According to Stephen Holden of The New York Times Heavyweights is really two movies in one and they don t mesh One movie is a no holds barred spoof of a Tony Little or Susan Powter style fitness merchant The other movie is a conventional family comedy that pokes lighthearted fun at the chubby young campers 10 In 2012 on the release of the Blu ray critic Brian Ordorff gave the film a grade B and wrote Time has been kind to the discarded fat camp movie finding Heavyweights more digestible these days after years spent processing the askew sense of humor shared by Apatow and Company 11 Box office Edit The film made 17 6 million at box office and was not successful theatrically though the film has garnered a cult following 2 12 Home media EditHeavyweights was released on VHS on August 15 1995 LaserDisc on February 20 1996 and released on DVD on March 4 2003 Heavyweights was released on Blu ray on December 11 2012 13 It was also included on Disney in November 2019 References Edit Heavyweights at Box Office Mojo a b Garner Glenn February 20 2022 Judd Apatow Marks 27th Anniversary of His First Movie Heavyweights with 90s Throwbacks PEOPLE com Retrieved July 24 2022 Summer Camp Roadtrippers Retrieved July 2 2017 Heavyweights soundtrack soundtrackinfo com Retrieved July 24 2022 Heavyweights Soundtrack 1995 what song Retrieved July 24 2022 Heayweights Camp Song retrieved July 24 2022 Heavyweights at Rotten Tomatoes Heavyweights 1995 Metacritic Retrieved February 21 2023 Cinemascore Archived from the original on December 20 2018 Retrieved August 30 2019 FILM REVIEW Spoofing the TV Gurus of Fitness The New York Times Retrieved June 3 2012 Brian Ordorff December 12 2012 Heavyweights Blu ray Blu ray com Massengale Jeremiah Lighthearted Humor at Fat Camp Heavyweights PopMatters Retrieved July 3 2017 Heavyweights Blu ray Blu ray com Retrieved April 4 2017 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Heavyweights Official website Heavyweights at IMDb Heavyweights at AllMovie Heavyweights at Box Office Mojo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Heavyweights amp oldid 1140750881, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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