Meatballs Part II

Meatballs Part II
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ken Wiederhorn
Produced by
Written by Bruce Franklin Singer (credited as Bruce Singer)
Story by
  • Martin Kitrosser
  • Carol Watson
Starring
Music by Ken Harrison
Cinematography Donald M. Morgan
Edited by George Berndt
Distributed by TriStar Pictures
Release date
  • July 27, 1984 (1984-07-27)
Running time
 87 min.
Country United States
Language English
Box office $5.4 million

Meatballs Part II is a 1984 comedy film and sequel to the 1979 film. The film stars Richard Mulligan, Hamilton Camp, John Mengatti, Kim Richards, Archie Hahn, Misty Rowe, and John Larroquette. Meatballs Part II was directed by Ken Wiederhorn.[1][2] The screenplay for the film was written by Bruce Franklin Singer based on a story by Martin Berman and Carol Watson.[3]

Plot

This in-name-only sequel to the first Meatballs summer camp movie sets us at Camp Sasquatch and revolves around two main plots. The owner of Sasquatch, Giddy, tries to keep his camp open after Hershey, the owner of Camp Patton located just across the lake, wants to buy the entire lake for Camp Patton. Giddy suggests settling the issue with the traditional end-of-the-summer boxing match over rights to the lake. A tough, inner city punk named Moishe is at Camp Sasquatch for community service as a counselor-in-training. Moishe is recruited to box in order to save Sasquatch. The second main subplot involves Cheryl. She is a naive teen whom Moishe sets his sights on. Cheryl's teenage girl co-campers arrange for Cheryl to see a man naked after she confesses she's never seen a "pinky." A recurring subplot throughout the movie is the campers hiding an alien from the adults. The alien, dropped off by his parents to learn Earth culture, is called "Meathead" by the kids (after he repeated one of them saying "Me, Ted").The plot takes a disturbing turn when the Bridge Troll uses her “shower-head” urination powers to disrupt The Farter’s bathroom exploits.

Cast

Reception

Meatballs Part II grossed $2,515,268 the first week-end.[4] The film grossed $5,410,972 domestically overall. Berman contends that $5,000,000 is still owed to him. [5]

Critical response

Critic Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times wrote in his review: "Trailing bits of Rocky and E.T. and using a plot device from the 1983 film Screwballs, which itself aspired to be Porky's, Meatballs Part II shares with 1979's Meatballs not much more than a summer camp setting. This time - amid the efforts of two senior counselors to find sexual privacy, amid prurience and budding romance involving an innocent blonde preppy and a young punk given a choice of a counselor's job or reform school, and amid the efforts of some of the little campers to harbor an extraterrestrial - the future of Camp Sasquatch is in peril.[6]

On Rotten Tomatoes, Meatballs Part II has only received two critics' reviews – both of which were negative. Lawrence Van Gelder of the New York Timess said, "Pallid writing, awkward acting, familiar situations and tired jokes make the morons, wimps and losers of Meatballs Part II easy to pass up." TV Guide reported, "The difference between this movie and the original is Bill Murray, whose charm gave the first film its best moments and raised the mediocre plot into something mindless but sweet, something Berman can not seem to pull off." Meanwhile, 675 users have scored the movie with an average of 2.5 out of 5; only 23% of those users reported liking "Meatballs Part II."[7]

Release

Meatballs Part II was released in theatres on July 27, 1984. The film was released on DVD on March 4, 2011, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It's bonus features included a newly recorded commentary by Martin Berman.[8] it was announced in 2018 that the film would be released on Blu-ray from Armpit Pictures.

References

  1. ↑ "Meatballs Part II". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Meatballs Part II". MUBI. United Kingdom. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  3. ↑ Pittsburgh Press Staff 1984, p. 26.
  4. ↑ "Meatballs Part II". Box Office Mojo. United States: Amazon.com. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Meatballs Part II". Box Office Mojo. United States: Amazon.com. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  6. ↑ Van Gelder, Lawrence (August 18, 1984). "Screen: 'Meatballs Part II,' Hih Jinks At Summer Camp". The New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Meatballs Part II". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Meatballs Part II". Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Culver City, California: Sony Pictures Entertainment. March 4, 2011. ASIN B004HGQMW8. Retrieved January 31, 2017.

Sources

  • Pittsburgh Press Staff (July 27, 1984). "Meatballs Part II". Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh: E. W. Scripps Company (1924–1992)
    Block Communications (2011–present). p. 26. Retrieved January 31, 2017.     (subscription required)
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