Bill Murray Heads to Summer Camp in Meatballs

Last week, my friend Julie came over for a movie night, and we decided on Meatballs, a 1979 summer camp movie starring Bill Murray toward the beginning of his career. Neither of us had seen it, while my boyfriend has seen it several times and counts it as a favorite. It proved a fun flick that also sparked some discussion about our own summer camp experiences.

Murray plays Tripper, a camp counselor and practical joker who particularly relishes picking on square counselor Morty (Harvey Atkin). At the same time, he truly cares about the kids under his supervision, even if his laconic comments might sometimes suggest otherwise. Many of these kids are return campers, so he already has them pretty well figured out and knows just how to push their buttons. This year, however, he has taken a special interest in a lonely, insecure young man named Rudy (Chris Makepeace).

The friendship that develops between Tripper and Rudy really becomes the heart of the movie, but there are all sorts of side stories going on as this is a camp full of quirky characters, most with goofy nicknames to boot. Among the older campers, the members of the opposite sex are the prime preoccupation. Girls compare chest sizes and read smutty novels; boys spy on the girls and dissect the possible meanings in their interactions with them. As the end of the summer draws near, they also become increasingly focused on beating their slick rivals from a nearby summer camp in the annual multi-event competition, and they don’t care if they have to play dirty to win.

As summer camp movies go, this is pretty typical, though most of the movies of this type that I have seen came afterwards so it may have helped set the standard for them. The movie is full of the sort of hi-jinx one would expect from a bunch of youngsters thrown together for several weeks in a vast outdoor playground, as well as the bonding that occurs as a result of these close quarters. It was filmed on the site of an actual summer camp in Canada, and the scenery is gorgeous. While the camp has a reputation for being a bit on the ramshackle side, the kids couldn’t ask for more idyllic surroundings.

This movie is probably most suitable for the summer months. It left me wanting to jump in a lake and go for a swim, but it’s gotten a little cold for that now that we’re firmly in fall. Still, whatever time of year you watch, it’s a funny, nostalgic look at the joys and traumas of summer camp that makes for good light-hearted viewing.