Heavyweights

This dated 90s kids comedy still shows some heart and sincerity, and features a peak unhinged Ben Stiller performance.

---

PRE GAME 🍔

---

Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻

I feel like I should start off this week’s post by stating right away - Heavyweights is not a sports movie. At least, not what I would call a sports movie. When I started Balls on Film, the goal was to watch and review every movie that falls under the ‘Sport’ tag on IMDb. That will always be the ultimate goal, which is why Heavyweights features here this week. Why it falls under sports on IMDb, I don’t know. But it does, so we’re going to talk about it. There’s actually a few movies that I’d like to review here that actually don’t fall under the IMDb sport category that actually feature more sports this movie does - Sudden Death is one that comes to mind. Perhaps sports-adjacent movies will be something I’ll cover more of further down the line, when I’m able to introduce additional content here again. What are some of your favourite sports-adjacent movies, or movies that feature sports but aren’t actually sports movies at all? I’d love to know in the comments.

Has anyone else been watching The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox on Netflix? I’m four episodes in and want to talk about it more here when I’m done, but it’s been phenomenal so far. I’m a Yankees fan, and I’ve said before that the thought of spending eight hours with the Red Sox sounded like a nightmare to me, but I’ve been hooked on the series. Netflix have done an amazing job taking us behind the curtain and really allowing us to get to see baseball players in a way that we don’t normally get to. Episode four especially, was particularly hard-hitting. I can’t wait to watch more of it.

For now though, let’s get to Heavyweights!

---

FIRST HALF 🍔

---

Heavyweights is one of those 90s family comedies that feels like a relic of a very specific time - there’s a lot of slapstick humour, kids banding together to take on adults, montages, the fashion, the over-the-top characters - it fits right in with films such as The Mighty Ducks and Little Giants, but without the same lasting appeal. But beneath the surface, there’s a surprisingly heartfelt core here and the whole thing is anchored by a truly unhinged, hilarious Ben Stiller performance. It’s also co-written by Judd Apatow, in what was one of his earliest pieces of work. Is it a great movie? No, but there’s a few things that still make it worth checking out.

Disney

The story follows Gerry Garner, an 11 year old kid who is shipped off by his parents to Camp Hope, a weight-loss camp run by kind-hearted Harvey and Alice Bushkin. Gerry is initially reluctant, but learns that the camp is actually beloved by the kids who go there. When the owners are forced to file for bankruptcy just as he arrives (what are the odds!), it’s taken over by fitness-obsessed lunatic, Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller). Perkis plans to force the campers to lose as much weight as possible, and to document the whole thing in the process to use in an infomercial to sell his own weight-loss program. The kids team up with the other camp counsellors to take down Perkis, and return Camp Hope to its former glory.

Disney

The film assembles the familiar lineup of misfit kids that defined these types of 90s comedies. There’s the smooth-talking confident kid, the brainy one, the wisecracking guy, and the shy newcomer trying to find his place in the group. It’s a familiar formula, but the kids actually have a fun chemistry together that stops it all feeling too recycled. I felt like that meme of Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the TV when a very young Kenan Thompson popped up as Roy, and it took me right back to my days watching Kenan & Kel on Nickelodeon after school. Anyone else?

There’s plenty of physical humour and silly moments that kids will love here, but where Heavyweights actually surprised me somewhat was in its quieter moments. Going into this, I expected the worst. I thought I was in for a movie full of outdated jokes and fat-shaming, and actually wondered if that was the reason it’s not part of the Disney Plus library here in the UK. While there are a few moments that feel very of the time and dated, the film actually has something to say about self-acceptance, and it treats the kids as more than just punchlines. There’s a genuine, welcome message about friendship and self-worth that is perhaps overshadowed by some of the louder moments, but it’s a nice addition to the story and one that adds some heart without feeling cheap.

Disney

Still though, a lot of it does feel dated. In addition to some poor taste jokes, there’s a definite ‘made in the 90s’ energy here that actually ends up feeling a bit cheesy, rather than nostalgic. It feels like a movie that’s stuck in that era, as opposed to the other similar kids movies that I mentioned before, which feel timeless. Also, aside from Stiller’s amazing performance, which I’ll get to, there’s a not a whole lot of funny going on here. I expected a bit more outside of Tony Perkis, but he’s where the bulk of the laughs come from.

Disney

The movie does feature a great cast. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara play the Bushkins, who are forced to sell the camp, which I got a huge kick out of. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple and their son all star in the same movie before, but it’s a fun little easter egg here. Tom McGowan, another 90s movie and tv regular, is also fun as Pat Finley, the good-hearted counsellor who's firmly on the side of the kids. Although he’ll always just be KACL’s Kenny Daley to me. There’s also Tom Hodges as Lars, Perkis’ crazed sidekick who would be the most ridiculous character in the movie if not for Perkis. The whole thing is anchored by Ben Stiller, who plays his part with total absurdity. His character feels like a mash-up of 90s infomercial fitness culture and cartoon bad guy perfection. Watching him, I had flashbacks to my mother watching QVC when I was kid, and picking up the phone to order a new piece of gym equipment, and the ridiculous ads that would play on a loop with the exaggerated before and after photos. Stiller’s line delivery is great, and even seeing and hearing him utter the line “Oh look, a deli meat!” had my dying. The character almost feels like it could be an origin story for Stiller’s White Goodman character from Dodgeball, and now I actually really wish they’d gone down that route.

Disney

In the end, Heavyweights is a film with a surprising amount of heart, and a truly deranged performance from Ben Stiller. It’s not great by any means, feels very dated at times and there's not a ton of real laughs outside of Tony Perkis. Aside from one scene where the kids play softball, and then are forced to do some exercise, it’s also not a sports movie - despite what IMDb says. That being said, it does still hold some charm and features a fun cast of familiar faces that will keep you somewhat entertained.

Heavyweights is available to stream on Disney Plus in select regions. In the UK, it does not appear on the streaming service and was purchased via the Apple TV store for this review.

---

HALFTIME 🍿

---

Let’s take a break for halftime.

Here’s what else I’ve been watching and enjoying this week:

SINNERS

This was absolutely incredible. A proper ‘this is why I love going to the cinema’ reminder. One of those movies that you immediately can’t wait to rewatch, and probably notice tons of little extra details. A true epic, and just dripping with atmosphere. I actually wish I’d known absolutely nothing about this going in, as the pacing and way in which the movie is structured makes for a much more satisfying payoff, if you don’t know where it’s heading.

In theatres now.

WARFARE

I went into this not knowing much, and by the time the credits rolled, I was actually quite surprised that I’d not heard much about this one going in. It seems to have been released to little fanfare, but it was a pretty memorable big screen experience. The best way to describe Warfare is like a 90 minute nightmare. A pretty harrowing watch that felt more like a horror movie than a war one. The sound design was amazing, and I’d recommend seeing it in IMAX if you can.

In theatres now.

Last week, I also rewatched one of my favourite 90s movies of all time - Can’t Hardly Wait. For me, it was the quintessential 90s teen comedy, more-so than American Pie, which got all of the love back then. I posted about the movie over on Threads, and was absolutely blown away at the response. This never got a big screen release in the UK, and I remember watching it on cable tv a year or so after its release. I found this one at just the right age, and it ended up having such an impact on me. I lost count of how many times I watched it as a teenager. Talk about an all-time movie soundtrack too. I still listen to that Third Eye Blind album on repeat to this day!

Let us know what you’ve been watching in the comments, or in the subscriber chat.

Let’s get back to camp!

---

SECOND HALF 🍔

---

Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.

BEST SCENE 🏆

Basically it’s whenever Ben Stiller is on screen, so here’s a collection of his best bits.

BEST LINE 🏆

Tony Perkis: “Attention campers. Lunch has been cancelled due to lack of hustle. Deal with it.”

IMDB TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆

Per iMDb:

As part of his first date with his eventual wife, Judd Apatow tried to impress Leslie Mann by showing her this film.

BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆

Sounds like a fun experience!

Joe Rumrill on Letterboxd

BONUS FEATURE 💿

Here’s Ben Stiller on making the movie and playing Tony Perkis.

And here’s Stiller talking with Jason and Travis Kelce about the movie.

---

POST-GAME 🍔

---

Next week, we're going to turn our attention to a new release movie. I’d mentioned that I’ve been looking forward to Eephus for the longest time, which never got a theatrical release here in the UK. It’s now available digitally, so we’ll go back to baseball next week and check it out!

I’ve been trying to get back into running recently, and have signed up for the Glasgow Men’s 10k in June, and the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon in October. I used to be an avid runner, but have been away from it for some time now. Getting back to running in your 40s after such a long time away has been quite a humbling experience, but I’m taking things slow and enjoying the journey. It made me think about running movies within the sports genre, and I think I’ll review my first one after next week’s Eephus review. Let me know what your favourite running movies are in the comments!

See you guys then! 👋🏻

~James