HEAVYWEIGHTS

"HEAVYWEIGHTS"
(1994) (Aaron Schwartz, Ben Stiller) (PG)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Minor	Minor	Moderate	Minor	*Minor

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Minor	Minor	Minor

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Minor	Minor	Minor	Minor	Mild

QUICK TAKE:: A group of heavy kids at a "fat farm" must contend with the new over zealous owner who wants to turn their summer into an infomercial.

PLOT:: Gerry Garner (AARON SCHWARTZ), is an overweight kid who's sent to Camp Hope, a "fat farm," by his parents. At first he's reluctant, but the promotional tape shows the camp to be a fun place that he might actually enjoy. There he meets Pat (TOM McGOWAN), a camp counselor for eighteen years and Josh (SEAN WEISS), a young Jackie Gleason-like, wise cracking kid. But things take a turn for the worse when it's announced that Tony Perkis (BEN STILLER), a motivational guru is the new owner. He, along with his aide, Lars (TOM HODGES), want to whip the boys into shape so that they can sell an infomercial on "fat farms." From then on, Gerry and the other kids and counselors must contend with the overzealous and often cruel Perkis who pushes everyone too far.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: This is definitely a kids movie, but some may be reluctant to see a movie about "fat kids." They shouldn't be, but kids are sometimes that way. If yours are, you should make them watch this to see that "fat kids" aren't any different from "skinny kids."

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG: The MPAA reason was not available, but we think it was for minor profanity.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: AARON SCHWARTZ plays a kid reluctant to go to camp, but who once there, stands up against the tyranny and madness of the new owner to make it a fun summer camp. He's a good role model.
TOM McGOWAN plays the camp counselor who's there to help the kids and who also stands up against the new owner. Another good role model.
BEN STILLER plays the motivation crazed new owner who goes too far trying to get the kids back into shape in order to promote himself. He's a bad role model.; TOM McGOWAN plays the camp counselor who's there to help the kids and who also stands up against the new owner. Another good role model.
BEN STILLER plays the motivation crazed new owner who goes too far trying to get the kids back into shape in order to promote himself. He's a bad role model.; BEN STILLER plays the motivation crazed new owner who goes too far trying to get the kids back into shape in order to promote himself. He's a bad role model.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: A man drinks from a flask. We don't know what's in it, but assume it's alcohol.

BLOOD/ GORE: There's one fart scene.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Kids call Gerry "fat boy," and laugh at him when he can't throw a ball over a fence.
Perkis and Lars aren't nice to the boys, and often are mean and manipulative when trying to "motivate" them. In addition, they aren't there to help the kids, but only want to turn this summer experience into an infomercial they can sell.
The kids break into Perkis' cabin which is bad, but there they find that he's hidden all of their letters home, which is also a bad thing.
Perkis makes the kids go on a twenty-mile hike and when one of the kids falls down, Perkis says, "Stragglers must be left to fend for themselves."
On parents day, Gerry's dad isn't nice to him when he states that he hasn't lost a pound.

FRIGHTENING/TENSE SCENES: Josh returns to camp and acts as if he's been lobotomized which worries the kids, but he soon snaps out of it and laughs at the other kids for worrying so much.
The kids must get out of Perkis' cabin as he's one his way to entering it.
A blood curdling scream is heard and the kids thinking that a bear has gotten Lars (who they tied to a tree with honey spread on his chest), but he's screaming at a deer who's walking nearby.
Perkis lures the smallest kid over to his cage with a fake piece of candy and appears very menacing.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Knife: Held by Perkis in his later, crazed stage but never used.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Stupid," "Kick butt," "You stink," "Moron," "This bites," "Shut up," "Putz," "Jerks," and "Sucker."
Kids throw their school papers everywhere, littering the ground on the last day of school.
Gerry drinks a whole pitcher of lemonade from the pitcher and spills a great deal of it down his shirt.
A camp counselor, happy about the weight he's lost, swings his hips back and forth and repeats, "Buns of steel."
A camper puts his finger up his nose.
Lars pushes the boys into the lake.
A boy spits onto the ground.
Perkis asked who's responsible for something, and Josh responds, "Seymour Butts." Perkis asks, "Who's Seymour Butts?" to which Josh replies, "Nobody's seen more butts than you."
Perkis has an aide use a sledge hammer to break an ice block he's got laying on his stomach to show how tough he is.
Kids from an opposing camp paint graffiti throughout Camp Hope.
Kids, stating that they resorted to desperate measures when not fed, chase some cows with large sticks. Although played for laughs, it might give the wrong ideas to some kids.
The kids break into Perkis' cabin and look for any food they can eat.
The kids want to see if Perkis can do a blindfolded sit-up. As he starts to do the first one, Josh pulls down his pants, and as Perkis' face nears, tells him, "Kiss my butt." (No nudity is seen).
The kids have a candy orgy where they smear food all over themselves and pour chocolate syrup down their faces, etc...
To prove how tough (and crazed) he is, Perkis throws glass onto the floor and walks across it with bare feet.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): Just a few minor notes here and there.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): An old 70's disco song, "I'm Just a Love Machine" is played during a camp dance. While most kids won't know what it's about, some of the lyrics include: "I'm just a love machine, and I won't work for nobody but you...a hugging, kissing thing..."

PROFANITY: 3 hells, 2 damns, 1 ass and 4 uses of "Geez," 3 of "My God" or "Good God," and 1 "Jesus" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: A boy says, "Skinny wieners?" when hearing the words, "Skinny winners."
The kids tell Perkis that he's a "loser with a skinny wiener."

SMOKING: A man is seen smoking cigarettes a few times.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Gerry and his father argue over sending him to a "fat farm," and he tells his dad, "You're fatter than I am."

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: How overweight kids shouldn't be treated any different than other kids.
That no summer camp will be like the one run by Perkis.

VIOLENCE: Lars pushes the boys into the lake.
There are some baseball mishaps where the kids get hit in the head, crotch and elsewhere with baseballs but none of the incidents are intentional.
Josh, after being taunted by an opposing player, takes the end of baseball bat and jabs it into the player's gut.
Kids, stating that they resorted to desperate measures when not fed, chase some cows with large sticks.
A man, referring to Perkis, says, "That moron owes me six hundred bucks. I could kill that guy."
Seeing Perkis on the edge of a cliff, a kid says they should push him over and that no jury would ever convict them.
Perkis pushes Josh out of his way.
The kids set it up so that Perkis falls into a deep hole in the woods.
Perkis tells Pat, "I'll kick you so hard in the groin that you'll never have kids."
The kids tie up Perkis in a cage and tape his mouth shut.
The kids tie Lars to a tree and spread honey on his chest in hopes that a bear will come his way.
One of the little kids runs up and kicks Lars in the groin.
Perkis grabs hold of the cage he's in, but it's electrified and he gets quite a jolt which makes him fall to the ground.
Perkis grabs a kid by the hair as he makes his escape from the cage.
After learning how mean Perkis has been, Gerry's dad punches him in the stomach. Perkis then whacks him on the back, and then somersaults back through the room where he hits his head on the wall and knocks himself silly.

Reviewed June 8, 1996

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