Classic Film: "Heavyweights"

 If you were ever a chubby kid, there's a lot to relate to in a film like "Heavyweights". The old adage is that children can be so cruel, but that fails to hold adults accountable as well. Grown folks can be just a malicious and mocking toward overweight and obese people (and that includes young ones), even when many deal with the same issues. This film is sort a flippant take on that dynamic. While it's centered around 'heavy' adolescents and their summer of torture at a camp, it also features a plethora of adult characters who are either unusually cruel or wholly sympathetic. 

The story follows 'Gerry' (the protagonist), who is shanghaied into going to a summer camp for overweight kids by his concerned parents. There he meets a host of "fat" kids, who openly and gratuitously (okay, hyperbole alert) pine for food, food, and more FOOD! These characters are colorful, comical, diverse, and loveable. Yes, the film shoots for cheap laughs in the beginning, we're bombarded with fat jokes out the wazoo...but, as it proceeds, these young men  show nuance and the actors give us fully three-dimensional characters. When 'Gerry' and company (who are led by veteran camp-goer, 'Josh') learn that the camp has been sold to a fitness nut named Tony Perkins (whose intentions are to turn the camp into a weight-loss infomercial)...all hell breaks loose. Perkins (played by Ben Stiller in what I believe to be his greatest performance to date) is psychotic and fascist. He's like the Captain from "Cool Hand Luke". He starves the kids, forces them into an extreme workout regimen, and attempts to humiliate them by staging a dance with a girl's camp and pitting them against an elite sports camp in a game of baseball. The torture goes on until the young men become mutinous and take over the camp. All the ensuing drama that falls between these plot-lines is nothing short of heart and hilarity.

"Heavyweights" is early Judd Apatow, so the depth and substance behind the oft-juvenile and sophomoric humor isn't much a surprise. He's obviously went on to greater fame with raunchier fare, but what he's able to do here is amazing. Again, if you've been the "fat" kid in class or ever felt inadequate for how you look as a child or teenage, you're going to relate here. During the dance scene, when the boys stood on one side (looking all kinds of pitiful and hapless) and the girls stood on the other (with facial expressions that ranged from appalled to bored) the tension is palpable. Haven't we all been in that moment? Weren't you totally afraid to be the first one to ask someone to dance (or scared period) and in turn stayed frozen in your position, feigning fun by chatting nervously with your friends who were equally anxious?

The teen actors were a mix of familiar and new faces. We all knew Kenan Thompson (Roy) and Shaun Weiss (Josh), but Aaron Schwartz (Gerry) and Cody Burger (Cody) were newbies. All of them brought something to the table, totally making that camp seem like a fun place to hang-out because they were all so witty and cool. The best part about it all was the communal love. No one could feel out of place because everyone was in the same boat. Who among us wouldn't want to feel safe in an environment of equals? The adult actors were equally a blast. As I said before, Ben Stiller (Tony Perkins) is a marvel. He's hilariously demented. Tom Hodges (Lars) is brilliant. And the straight-characters (that is, the non-over-the-top folks) played well. 

The 90s were rife with really good kids films (especially those starring Nickelodeon-trained young actors): The Mighty Ducks, Goodburger, Harriet the Spy, Homeward Bound, Beethoven, The Little Rascals*, Little Giants, Home Alone, Dennis the Menace*, Blank Check, The Witches*, Richie Rich*, Jumanji, 3 Ninjas, Huck Fin*...and a whole bunch of other ones that I can't think of off the top of my head. (* denotes my personal favorites)

If you haven't seen "Heavyweights" do yourself the favor and check it out. It isn't a film you can't (or won't) enjoy as an adult and is a must-see. Just make sure you're ready to bust a gut when you do.