Why is the movie called meatballs

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update. Amidst much childish behavior, an older character helps a younger one find his confidence.

The boy overcomes the challenge of his own shyness and insecurity by finding something he's good at. The camp counselor's unorthodox behavior makes an otherwise dull place fun.

Rudy is a model for shy, insecure boys everywhere. When he shows up at camp, he suffers the ridicule of the other boys and wants to give up and go home.

But with a bit of courage, he eventually finds something he's good at; he finds his confidence and begins to connect with those around him. Tripper is almost a role model; he helps Rudy, but is also the instigator of childish behavior, pranks, and general irresponsibility. The movie has almost constant innuendo, sex-related jokes, and scenes of men ogling women in bikinis.

Several characters kiss. There's no nudity, but two main characters are overheard, off-screen, after having sex. The actual act is not depicted in any way. There's a joke about "sexual awareness week" in which the children would be given access to hookers, and the winner would be allowed to "rape and pillage.

Language mostly includes sexual innuendo like "sex," "boobs," "nookie," "get laid," "boner," and "panty raid. Characters drink Schweppes soda water and practice burping. A Planters "Mr. Peanut" doll is visible in the background during one scene. Parents need to know that Meatballs is a sexual-innuendo-filled summer camp comedy from , featuring 29 year-old Bill Murray.

Even though it has young kids in it, it's intended for teen and adult viewers. There's no actual nudity, and no sex scenes, although two characters are heard speaking, off-screen, after they've had sex. But male characters ogle women in bikinis, and think and talk about sex almost constantly.

There's a questionable spoken joke about children visiting hookers, and an uncomfortable scene in which a man jokingly attacks a woman she doesn't think it's funny. Aside from sexual references, language includes things like "dick" and "hell.

Irreverent at the time, the movie feels old-fashioned today. Older viewers will have a nostalgic fondness for it, but younger viewers may not be convinced. Add your rating See all 3 parent reviews. Add your rating See all 1 kid review.

It's time for summer at Camp North Star. Head counselor Tripper Bill Murray plans to make it a good one. None of us had any idea what we were doing.

Blum: I think for a lot of us, it was absolutely like summer camp. Almost all of us were newbies. It was our first movie.

And we were all staying on the camp, in the same lodge. But I had my involvements with certain female cast members and crew, as we all did. None more so than Bill. All the women were bright, funny, talented and eager for a good time, same with the guys.

We were a very tight group and that comes across authentically in the film. Blum: I can certainly remember stealing a canoe and going out onto the lake in the middle of the night with more than one young lady, I can tell you.

There was nookie. No question. He had a boat, and he invited us all on it for an impromptu evening cruise on the lake. We get on the boat, and there were too many of us, and the damn thing sank. Blum: I was in that boat! I can corroborate that story. There may have been five or six of us.

The last one on the boat was Keith Knight who played Fink , who was, as we know, a hefty lad. We pushed off, and the boat just went down. It started taking in water. But we got awful wet. A legitimate toga party! Not like an Animal House -inspired toga party.

We spent the rest of the night dressed in bedsheets, drinking and laughing and just having a ball. But this was September, up in the mountains of Canada. Well, I had laryngitis during the shoot, because I was so damn cold all the time. I remember in between shots, I was drinking hot toddies and eating garlic, doing anything to help it.

Banham: We shot the campfire scene on this little island. I remember walking to the shoot with Bill and Matt [Craven]. We were walking through a dense forest, to this secluded spot that Ivan had picked out. And he was doing it just for our benefit, for our laughter. Blum: I remember that things got tense with the campers.

They were very excited when we arrived, but within a week, maybe less than that, they understood that this was not going to be fun for them. There is nothing more boring than being an extra on a movie shoot.

Adam Kronick former camper, current camp director at Camp White Pine : I was 17 years old when they shot the movie at our camp. Kay Armatage location coordinator : There was one day when Ivan wanted to shoot the little kids doing a potato sack race. So these little kids—they looked like they were five, they were absolutely darling—they were waiting for us, waiting to start their potato sack race for what seemed like hours and hours. They were missing their swimming time and their naps and their crafts projects and whatever else.

They were starting to get seriously pissed off. We are the little brother who has seen our big brother and big sister go through it. The biggest trick is convincing you that you actually have a chance.

Boomers believe in merit, but Gen-Xers know the meritocracy is worse than the old aristocratic order. At least the aristocracy knew it was an aristocracy. It knew it did not deserve what it had, hence the concept of noblesse oblige. The meritocracy has no idea what it is. The rich kids at Camp Mohawk think they deserve to win not because they are richer but because they are better, which is why they are richer.

Tripper does not call to overturn this system. He knows that overturning it would just replace it with another version of the same system. Knowing that, sensing that endless cycle of rise and fall, is what creates the exhaustion. He instead calls to identify the system and then mock it — detach yourself so you cannot be judged. The campers, halfway though an inter-camp Olympiad with Mohawk, having been humiliated all day, have gathered for a pep rally.

Because of this, Reitman decided to direct it himself. John Belushi convinced Bill Murray to accept the part of Tripper, pointing out that it would be Murray's first film and he would be the star. Star Bill Murray only signed on to do the film very late because of his contractual obligations to the live-comedy TV series Saturday Night Live The cast and crew have never reunited.

In June , after 35 yrs, they will be doing so in benefit of the humanitarian charity Action Against Hunger Canada. Lloyd International, Inc. One size fits all. It's never explained why the movie title is Meatballs. Except "Meatball" is a general term for a silly person, and the campers in this movie do act silly.

Fink calls Spaz a meatball while they're playing tennis. During principal photography, the camp was a fully operational and functioning facility and was not closed down during the shoot. The camp is located in Haliburton in the province of Ontario in Canada. At the meeting between days one and two of the Olympiad, Tripper refers to "the newest Olympic power Trinidad and Tobago".

While this is apparently sarcasm, at the most recent Olympics prior to filming, in Montreal, Trinidad and Tobago did win gold in one premier event - Hasely Crawford won the men's meter dash. The later camp film Camp Rock used the same real life camp facilities as this movie.