Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Packing Up and Moving.

After using Blogger for quite a while, the Desuko Movie Spot is finally moving on up. We've got a new look, some new features and even some new reviews, all at a new address: desukomoviespot.com. (But don't worry. Even though I've exported everything to the new site, this one will still be around for a while, just in case. But all future updates will take place over at the new place.) Be sure to reset your links accordingly and join us over there!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Nine (2009).

The Scoop:
Rob Marshall tries to recapture some of the magic of "Chicago" with "Nine," the film version of Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston's 1982 Broadway musical, but is ultimately sabotaged by the thin source material.

At the center of the story is Daniel Day-Lewis playing Guido Contini, a world famous Italian film director who deals with personal and professional crises by turning to the many women in his life. If that plot sounds familiar, that's because it is swiped wholesale from Federico Fellini's much better "8 1/2."

The women who parade through Contini's life and fantasies -- each offering their brutally honest advice while belting out big musical numbers -- are his wife (Marion Cotillard), mistress (Penélope Cruz), mother (Sophia Loren), leading lady (Nicole Kidman), costume designer/confidant (Judi Dench), fondly remembered first sex partner (Fergie) and a novice American reporter (Kate Hudson). Cotillard and Cruz really steal the show here (which isn't hard to do against Day-Lewis' mopey screen presence) and Dench has some nice moments as well. Kidman is bland, Hudson is out of her league, Fergie doesn't do much but sing and dance (thankfully), and frankly I'm not sure how the glorious Loren got through this with a straight face.

The songs are fun but insubstantial, except for Cotillard's great "Take It All," which was written specifically for the film. However, Marshall, cinematographer Dion Beebe and choreographer John Deluca redeem even the weakest numbers with some energetic stagings.

But besides Cotillard and Cruz, the real stars of the show are art directors Simon Lamont, Peter Findley and Phil Harvey, and costume designer Colleen Atwood who create a vibrant, detailed and glamorous simulation of mod 1960s Rome. "Nine" may not have much going on under the surface, but thanks to them it's wonderful to look at.

Best Bit:
Cotillard laying it all out for the Oscar-nominated "Take It All."

Side Note:
Oddly enough, the play's title song "Nine" was one of several musical numbers cut from the film.

Companion Viewing:
"8 1/2" (1963), if you want to see this sort of thing done right the first time.

Links:
IMDb.
Official site.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


"Take It All":


The music video for Kate Hudson's "Cinema Italiano":

Friday, March 05, 2010

Catalina Caper (1967).


The Scoop:
Get your flippy-floppies, people, because we're going on a boat!

The 1960s was awash in "Beach Party" knockoffs, and "Catalina Caper" was one of the worst of the bunch. While on a sunny summer vacation to Catalina Island, a group of groovy teens stop an inept group of upper crust thieves who are trying to smuggle some sort of valuable scroll out of the local museum, while rocking out to the occasional musical guest star. The intentions here are good and the acting and filmmaking are technically competent, but the story is a sorry mishmash.

If you're a B-movie fan, you find a lot of familiar faces here, including Tommy Kirk ("Mars Needs Women"), Del Moore ("Bachelor Father"), Jim Begg ("Village of the Giants"), Sue Casey ("Beach Girls and the Monster"), Michael Blodgett ("Beyond the Valley of the Dolls") and even Wonder Woman's" Lyle Wagonner. The musical numbers come courtesy of the Cascades, Carol Connors and the wildly out of place Little Richard.

These '60s teens-in-the-sun movies are always a fun diversion and worth your time -- even the ones with as many shortcomings as this one. It's worth checking out, even for the unintentional laughs.

Best Line:
"Look! The water fuzz!"

Side Note:
The Cascades' song "There's a New World Just Opening For Me" was written by Ray Davies of the Kinks.

Companion Viewing:
"Beach Party" (1963).

Links:
IMDb.
Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt.

Take a Look:
Little Richard! On a boat! Singing about scuba diving! I know, right?

Friday, February 26, 2010

Grace of My Heart (1996).

The Scoop:
This film got dismissed by a lot of critics, but it probably is writer/director Allison Anders' best work.

The story follows the emotional journey of a Carole King-ish songwriter (Ileana Douglas) who goes through years of turmoil throughout the 1960s and 1970s before finally finding her own voice, both personally and professionally. The men in her life are played by Matt Dillon, Eric Stoltz and John Turturro, but it's Douglas, who isn't nearly as big of a star as she should be, who steals the show. She gives a wonderful performance, to compliment Anders' fine script. And the original songs, written by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello, capture the sounds of the times wonderfully and will have you humming them long after the movie is over.

There is also more fun to be had by trying to figure out which characters are based on which real-life music industry figures from the '60s and '70s. An all-around winner.

Best Line:
"He smokes some grass. He uses some psychedelics. He uses peyote, but he is down on hard drugs."

Side Note:
The list of cameos in this film seems to go on forever, including Bridget and Peter Fonda, and a host of rock/folk musicians -- Chris Isaak, J Mascis (from Dinosaur Jr.), Jill Sobule, Shawn Colvin, China Kantner and members of Redd Kross.

Companion Viewing:
"Gas Food Lodging" (1992).

Links:
IMDb.
Watch it on Hulu.

Take a Look:
A fan-made trailer:


"God Give Me Strength," which should've won an Oscar but didn't. (Vocals by Kristen Vigard):


"My Secret Love":

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Gilda (1946).

The Scoop:
After knocking around Hollywood in bit parts for years, Rita Hayworth's career finally exploded after playing the title role in "Gilda."

A small-time American hood (Glenn Ford) finds work in a South American casino only to come between the crooked owner (George Macready) and his singer girlfriend (Hayworth). Then the fireworks begin. There are a lot of plot shenanigans going on, but the real meat of the film is the explosive love triangle centered on Gilda.

Director Charles Vidor and a small handful of screenwriters put together a sultry, vaguely noirish cocktail with this one. Ford and Macready hit all the right notes as the lusty men brawling over Gilda, but Hayworth is the one who steals the show. She didn't have much range, but she definitely had a lot of presence. Her performance is still one of the sexiest of all time, making this much more erotically charged than most films of the period. It's a little slow in stretches, but still a good watch.

Best Bit:
Hayworth's hair toss while performing "Put the Blame on Mame."

Side Note:
Hayworth and Ford had so much quickie sex between takes that the Columbia Pictures executive in charge of the production not only had to keep them apart when not doing scenes, but also had to bug her dressing room in order to enforce the punishment.

Companion Viewing:
"Casablanca" (1942).

Links:
IMDb.
Fan site.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Gilda sure knows how to make an entrance:


"Put the Blame on Mame" (Hayworth's vocals were dubbed by Anita Ellis):


"Amado Mio":

Friday, February 19, 2010

The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999).

The Scoop:
This sequel to the great Stephen King flick "Carrie" is a bit of a stretch -- Amy Irving is back, and so is the troubled, telekinetic teen girl, but this doesn't quite measure up to the original.

Irving reprises her role as Sue, the sole survivor of Carrie's prom night rampage, who is now a high school counselor. She spends a lot of time working with troubled student Rachel (Emily Bergl), whose best friend just committed suicide. And, oh yeah, she is also Carrie's long-lost half-sister, who inherited the same telekinetic abilities. As if that wasn't bad enough, she's a loner misfit who the "in" crowd wants to publicly humiliate at a big party. If you can't guess where things go from here, then you need to be hit with a big stick.

Bergl is pretty good as Rachel, but the script by Rafael Moreu is boring, cliched and abysmal in portraying the pressures of high school. Plus, the doggie ER scene is silly, and a mental institution called Arkham? Puh-leeeze. And let's not forget the hereditary explanation of the telekinesis.

But at least music supervisor Richard Winn gets bonus points for the terrific Billie Holiday soundtrack.

Stephen King, of course, had nothing to do with this completely unnecessary sequel, which should be your first warning sign. Stay away!

Best Bit:
The black veins popping up across Rachel's body.

Side Note:
This is Bergl's first film. She had previously only had a small part on the television series "Wasteland." She has since returned to the small screen as a regular in "Men in Trees" and "Southland."

Companion Viewing:
"Carrie" (1976).

Links:
IMDb.
Carrie... A Fan's Site.

Take a Look:
The trailer:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Cannibal! The Musical (1996).

The Scoop:
This ultra-low budget parody of 1950s movie musicals, released by Troma, is an early effort by "South Park" creator Trey Parker. It plays very fast and loose with the real-life story of frontiersman Alferd Packer, who killed and ate the rest of his traveling party while snowbound in the Rocky Mountains in the winter of 1882-83. And, true to the title, there are musical numbers (including a love song to a horse), though not nearly enough to sustain the somewhat amateurish storytelling. While there are some pretty funny parts (the Japanese Indian tribe, for instance), the quality of humor is nowhere near the brilliant levels Parker and co-conspirator Matt Stone later reached in "South Park." It's worth a look for hardcore fans, but otherwise a bit tedious. For great non-"South Park" work from Parker and Stone, check out "Orgazmo" instead.

Best Line:
"Fudge, Packer?"

Side Note:
Parker and Matt Stone were students together at the University of Colorado at Boulder while filming this movie in 1993. The short order grill at the university student union is named after Packer.

Companion Viewing:
"Orgazmo" (1997) and "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" (1999).

Links:
IMDb.
Official site.
Badmovies.org.
The Independent.

Take a Look:
"That's All I'm Asking For":


"Shpadoinkle":


"When I Was On Top of You":

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

American Movie (1999).

The Scoop:
We Americans sure like to dream big, don't we? This is the nation that gave birth to the notion of social mobility. We like to think that we, too, can be rich, famous or powerful, no matter what our humble beginnings. Of course, we Americans also don't think that we could possibly have any shortcomings that could possibly get in our way. So, while we may be a nation of Bill Gateses, we are also a nation of Mark Borchardts.

"American Movie" is a terrific documentary from Chris Smith that follows demented Wisconsin hoser Borchardt and his best buddy Mike Schank as they try to make Borchardt's "great American movie," titled "Northwestern," and a short film, "Coven" (pronounced "Coh-vin"). The result is a hilarious (often unintentionally) look at a typical American schmuck with big dreams.

If Borchardt can ever get his shit together long enough to finish a film, he could well make his mark as the Ed Wood or Coleman Francis of his generation. Unfortunately, shit keeps getting misplaced.

"American Movie" offers a rare first-hand glimpse an outsider cinema artist of the Wood/Francis type at work. And in the process, it shows us a little bit about our own dreams as well.

Best Line:
"There's some corny dialogue that would make the Pope weep."

Side Note:
The soundtrack, performed Schank, features covers of music by Bach, Metallica and "Mr. Bojangles."

Companion Viewing:
"Coven" (1997) and "Ed Wood: Look Back in Angora" (1994).

Links:
IMDb.
Official site.
Salon.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Mike proves why he's the best second banana in the film business:


In this deleted scene, Mark shares his love of Burger King:

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Rodan (1956).

The Scoop:
This is Toho's follow-up to the success of "Godzilla, King of the Monsters" (1954) and "Godzilla Raids Again" (1955), and if you can get past the endless stock footage of nuclear testing at the beginning, you're home free.

Well, almost. From there, you have to contend with the lead character's ridiculous, film noir-esque voice-over narration and a much delayed appearance of the monster (a giant winged thing that stomps on stuff, pretty much just like in every other Toho monster movie). Even by the cheesy low standards of vintage kaiju flicks, this one is pretty tepid. But on the plus side, among the American voice over cast is George ("Mr. Sulu") Takei in his first professional acting job.

Best Line:
"If this thing you call Rodan is extinct, why is it still alive?"

Side Note:
This was Toho's first full-color monster movie.

Companion Viewing:
Any other Godzilla film.

Links:
IMDb.
Monstrous.

Take a Look:
The American trailer:


Rodan hatches:

Friday, January 29, 2010

RKO 281 (1999).

The Scoop:
This HBO original, which won a Golden Globe for Best Television Movie, tells the behind-the-scene stories of Orson Welles' crusade to make "Citizen Kane." (RKO 281 was the production number assigned to "Citizen Kane" by the studio.) Although it is a little on the short side at just over 80 minutes and rushes through many of the details, it features several great performances and offers an engaging look at the friendship between Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz.

Liev Schrieber gives a surprisingly good performance as Welles, John Malkovich is up to his usual schtick as Mankiewicz, and Marion Davies is another one of those bimbo roles Melanie Griffith was born to play. And even though James Cromwell's interpretation of William Randolph Hearst borders on Don Corleone territory, it isn't distracting.

Most importantly, this film makes the point that "Citizen Kane" was as much about Welles himself as it was about Hearst. Director Benjamin Ross and writer John Logan highlight many of the contradictory foibles -- both his storytelling genius and his self-destructive arrogance -- that would make Welles a major figure in film history, but would also eventually ruin him creatively.

Best Line:
"It is not my life you sabotaged with your movie, Mr. Welles. My battle with the world is almost over. Yours, I'm afraid, is just begun."

Side Note:
Based on the documentary "The Battle Over Citizen Kane" (1996).

Companion Viewing:
"Citizen Kane" (1941).

Links:
IMDb.
Logan's script.

Take a Look:
Welles and Bernard Herrmann (Kerry Shale) tackle the score:


Welles and Mankewicz discuss Heart's involvement in the death of director Thomas Ince (followed by scenes from "The Cat's Meow," a film about the Ince case):

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Bloody Pit of Horror (a.k.a., The Crimson Executioner) (1965).

The Scoop:
In this bargain basement Italian production, a group of models, photographers and assorted hangers-on visit an old castle for a photo shoot, only to run into the demented owner who thinks he's possessed by the spirit of the Crimson Executioner, a 17th century torturer.

Despite the poor acting and technical incompetence, this is charming in its own sleazy way and is most notable for the presence of Mickey (Mr. Jayne Mansfield) Hargitay, who plays the owner. He camps it up big time, and the camera obviously loves his oiled-up body. He's the highlight of the movie, although the torture and titillation, which are very tame by today's standards, hold a certain cheesy charm on their own terms.

Don't you dare call yourself a bad movie lover if you haven't seen this one yet.

Best Line:
"Mankind is made up of inferior creatures, spiritually and physically deformed, who would have corrupted the harmony of my perfect body."

Side Note:
Hartigay won the Mr. Universe title in 1955 and followed that up with a string of B-movies, including "Hercules vs. the Hydra" and "Lady Frankenstein." His rocky six-year marriage to Mansfield was tabloid fodder throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s,, and their daughter Mariska Hartigay has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for starring in "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit."

Companion Viewing:
"Baron Blood" (1972) and "Lady Frankenstein" (1971).

Links:
IMDb.
Cool Cinema Trash.
Images Journal.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Mickey chews some scenery:

Friday, January 22, 2010

Zero Hour! (1957).

The Scoop:
Stop me if you've heard this one before -- a cross-country flight is put in peril when the entire crew and several passengers get sick with food poisoning and it's up to shaky, battle-scarred former fighter pilot Ted Styker to land the plane with a little help from a tough-as-nails pilot on the ground.

This is better known as the plot of "Airplane!" but the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team didn't think it up themselves. While their film was a spoof of '70s disaster movies like the "Airport" series, they lifted their plot, characters, and even whole scenes and chunks of dialogue, wholesale from "Zero Hour!"

Dana Andrews plays Stryker, a decorated Canadian World War II pilot whose post-traumatic stress disorder keeps him out of the air until he's forced to board a cross-country flight to keep his wife (Linda Darnell) from leaving him. Naturally, the fog gets thick and the fish is bad, so Stryker winds up in the cockpit and it's up to Capt. Treleaven (Sterling Hayden, channeling Jack Webb) to talk him through it.

ZAZ skewered this thing so thoroughly that it's hard to watch it seriously now. But on its own, its a taut little thriller that's marred slightly by hamminess and some unintentional humor. Still a load of fun, though.

Best Bit:
The ventriloquist act, which belongs in a ZAZ movie.

Side Note:
The pilot is played NFL Hall-of-Famer Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch.

Companion Viewing:
"Airplane!" (1980), of course.

Links:
IMDb.
A transcript annotated with notes on what was later used in "Airplane!"

Take a Look:
The trailer:


A side-by-side comparison of "Zero Hour!" and "Airplane!":

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The House Bunny (2008).

The Scoop:
In "The House Bunny," Anna Faris is great as a Playboy bunny turned sorority house mother, but the rest of the film needs a lot of help.

Faris plays Shelley, an aspiring centerfold who gets kicked out of the Playboy Mansion and is taken in as a house mother by the nerdy, awkward sisters of Zeta Alpha Zeta. She helps them have their sorority house by giving them makeovers and making them popular, while they show her that there's more to life than being an airheaded nude model.

The script from Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith (based on an idea by Faris) has plenty of good one-liners, but the beyond that it is clunky and filled with just about every cliche you can imagine. There are some good performances, particularly from Faris, Emma Stone and Kat Denning. But they can't outweigh the wooden presence of Hugh Hefner (as himself, of course) and Tyson Ritter (the lead singer of All-American Rejects). Nor can it outweigh the fact that no film with a PG-13 rating is able to get to the truly good material to be found in either sorority houses or the Playboy Mansion. And let's not get into the questionable gender politics.

In fact, "The House Bunny" feels less like a contemporary story and more like a throwback to the popular comedies of 30 years ago. (It's no coincidence that the sorority's name is abbreviated ZAZ.) But unfortunately it falls just a bit short of being worthy of their company. Yet it is a little fluffy, mindless fun for a rainy day of movie watching -- if you can get past the premise that a woman's highest goal should be to meet a guy.

Best Line:
"Do you know where the crapper is? I have to do a very mysterious thing in there."

Side Note:
Celebrity offspring alert! Tom Hanks' boy Colin plays Shelley's love interest, Oliver, and Rumer Willis (daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore) plays Joanne, the Zeta girl who won't give up her back brace.

Companion Viewing:
"National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978) and "Clueless" (1995).

Links:
IMDb.
Official site.
Missives From Marx.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


"American Idol" star Katherine McPhee (who also plays Zeta girl Harmony) leads her costars in singing the sadly non-ironic theme song:

Friday, January 15, 2010

Ocean's 11 (1960).

The Scoop:
It's Vegas, baby! The Rat Pack was groovy, and this film presents them at their height.

All the usual suspects are here (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Angie Dickinson, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford) as well as a few other familiar ones (Cesar Romero, Norman Fell, Henry Silva, Akim Tamiroff), in this tale of Danny Ocean (Sinatra at his coolest) who brings together his old army buddies to pull off a daring heist -- robbing the five major Las Vegas casinos simultaneously at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. Director Lewis Milestone keeps the pace lively and fun, and the camaraderie between the Rat Packers is palpable on screen. Even though it clocks in at more than two hours, it flies by when you feel like you're in the company of old friends.

If you're a fan of old school Vegas or vintage midcentury modernism, this film has everything you need. Sure, Steven Soderbergh's 2001 remake might have had some good action and the presence of Clooney, Pitt, Damon, et al., but it still can't touch the original for great music, plenty of swingin' attitude and vintage Vegas atmosphere.

Best Line:
"I'm so drunk, I don't think I could lie down without holding on!" (This is a punchline to an old Dean Martin routine, which was borrowed by Shirley MacLaine when she ad-libbed her cameo appearance.)

Side Note:
Because all the stars were such good pals, they ad-libbed big chunks of the dialogue, with a lot of the material coming from in jokes and private references.

Companion Viewing:
"Swingers" (1996) and "Ocean's 11" (2001).

Links:
IMDb.
Fan page with sound bites.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Sammy Davis Jr. sings "Ee-O 11":

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Mister Rock and Roll (1957).

The Scoop:
Plot? Who needs plot?

This celebrity vehicle for pioneering rock 'n' roll deejay Alan Freed keeps only the barest essentials of a plot in what is essentially a film version of his radio show. Freed, playing himself, announces each song, then the performers lip sync their way through their numbers. And what a lineup it is - Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, LaVern Baker, Shaye Cogan and, for some reason, Lionel Hampton.

There are also a couple of inconsequential scenes of a magazine writer who gets herself involved with a clean cut rock singer, but you can safely skip those. It's all about the music.

Freed seriously tones down the raucousness of early rock music, but the film does get points for showcasing both black and white acts, a rarity in the old days. "Mister Rock and Roll" isn't the best of the early rock movies, but there are some essential performances.

Best Line:
"If I'm guilty of anything, I'm guilty of being present at the birth of rock 'n' roll!"

Side Note:
Directed by Charles S. Dubin, best known for his long career in telvision, having directed episodes of "Murder, She Wrote," "Matlock" and "The Father Dowling Mysteries."

Companion Viewing:
"Go, Johnny, Go!" (1958).

Links:
IMDb.
An introduction to Alan Freed on RareSoul.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


The whole film (part 1):

Friday, January 08, 2010

Coyote Ugly (2000).


The Scoop:
Naïve small town girl moves to the big city looking for fame, only to come face-to-face with the harsh realities of trying to make it in the big time. But thanks to a new love and some quirky friends she meets along the way, she finds her niche in an unexpected place and finally succeeds in living her dreams.

Yeah, we've all heard this tired tale -- quite literally -- a thousand times before, but for some reason Jerry Bruckheimer thought we needed to hear it again in "Coyote Ugly."

Bruckheimer produced this twaddle from writer Gina Wendkos ("The Princess Diaries") and director David McNally ("Kangaroo Jack") about aspiring songwriter Violet (Piper Perabo) who moves to New York City to make it big in the music industry. After getting doors slammed in her face all over town, she has a too-cute meeting with Australian hunk Kevin (Adam Garcia) and finds work with gruff Coyote Ugly bar owner Lil (Maria Bello). The bar's big attraction is the hot women (Bridget Moynahan, Izabella Miko, Tyra Banks) dancing it up on top of the bar and giving the male customers plenty of attitude. Of course, all this helps Violet get over her stage fright and live her dreams -- which apparently just consists of selling one mediocre song to LeAnn Rimes.

There are only two reasons to watch this movie (unless you're a bad movie aficionado, in which case you'll find hundreds of reasons). The first is the jiggling women on the bar top (if you're into that sort of thing). The bar sequences, for all their predictability, are actually staged pretty well and inject the only sort of life or energy the film has. As soon as the narrative steps outside the bar, the whole movie just deflates like a balloon on the morning after the party.

The second reason is the performance of John Goodman as Violet's over-protective father. Like every other character, Bill is a one-dimensional caricature, but in Goodman's hands he transcends the source material and becomes closer to a fully-realized person than the audience has any right to expect. Goodman polishes this turd like the solid professional he is.

But other than that, it's a wash. You might enjoy some of it along the way, but you'll hate yourself in the morning.

Best Bit:
Ellen Cleghorne's cameo as the music company receptionist.

Side Note:
The real life Coyote Ugly bar was opened in New York in 1993 by Liliana Lovell, who was the basis of Bello's character in the movie. After the success of the film, Lovell franchised the operation. At its height, the chain boasted 19 bars across the United States. Fifteen are still in operation today, but that includes three in Europe.

Companion Viewing:
"Flashdance" (1983).

Links:
IMDb.
Cinema de Merde.
Movie Mistakes (warning: this is a long one).
The chain's official site.
The Urban Dictionary definition.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


Just the bar dancing scenes:

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Meatballs (1979).


The Scoop:
Maybe it’s because I was raised on them, but the juvenile comedies of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s are a lot more entertaining than those that came before or after. The masters of the genre were Ivan Reitman, John Landis, Harold Ramis and the alums of the original “Saturday Night Live” cast. You can see their best work in “Animal House,” “Caddyshack” or “The Jerk” but, sadly, not in “Meatballs.”

Directed by Reitman (and written by Ramis, Len Blum, Dan Goldberg and Janis Allen), “Meatballs” is the episodic, disjointed story of a summer among the misfits at Camp North Star. Bill Murray stars as activities director Tripper alongside a bunch of folks you’ve probably never heard of. Murray sleepwalks through this, his first film role, but as he’s proved repeatedly in his 30+ year career, he can still do that and be entertaining. The rest of the film is fun too, although pretty insubstantial; there’s no plot to speak of and many of the jokes fall flat. Despite some nice moments between Tripper and Rudy (Chris Makepeace), “Meatballs” really isn’t essential viewing.

Best Bit:
Tripper explains the perks of rival Camp Mohawk.

Side Note:
This was filmed at Camp White Pine in Haliburton, Ontario, during summer camp season. The real life campers were used as extras in several scenes.

Companion Viewing:
"Stripes" (1979) and "Caddyshack" (1980).

Links:
IMDb.

Take a Look:
The trailer:


It just doesn't matter!