by Chris Learned Kane, Reviewer.

One of the most perplexing and annoying (but nonetheless true) ironies of adulthood:  walking down a candy aisle and realizing at once two things:  you could totally afford to buy ALL of it; and that you want none of it.   I feel this bitter phenomenon is marginally related to my current life with respect to one glorious summer in my youth: the summer my parents decided to make way in the budget for a pay channel!  Oh, late night smut!  Oh, gratuitous nudity!  And all of it in my very own home!

Of course, the pay channel and my viewing thereof was strictly supervised by day, but late night would find me quietly sneaking from my bedroom to the living room to view films like Porky’s, Last American Virgin, Caddyshack,  and Revenge of the Nerds;  films which were made even better  by the fact that viewing them was strictly verboten.  Now that I’m an adult I’ve come to realize a few things:  I can totally afford all of the pay channels imaginable, and can watch any film I please, and though I love movies; none of it is quite as delicious or exciting as the purloined films of my youth.

I told you that to tell you this:  I recently began re-watching films from my forbidden late night viewings.  I found, with a few exceptions, that time had not been kind to my old friends.  This does not mean that I love them any less, but it does mean that (for me) they do not bear repeat viewing under circumstances outside of nostalgia.  Meatballs  (Ivan Reitman – Ghostbusters, Stripes, Twins, No Strings Attached) was a personal favorite of mine, and one of the late night flicks that I had not had a chance to revisit.   I remember Meatballs being tame by the standards of Porky’s as it didn’t contain a whole lot of cursing or nudity.  But what it lacked in the profane it more than made up for in fun.  And so it was with a cautious, hopeful heart that I sat down to watch the Blu-ray release of Meatballs!

Are you ready for the summer?  Head counselor at low-rent Camp North Star, Tripper Harrison (Bill Murray – Lost in Translation, Ghostbusters, SNL, Hyde Park on Hudson) is!  And Tripper, who acts only marginally more mature than his prepubescent charges, is armed to the teeth with a motley collection of CITs (counselors in training), unsettling camp announcements, campfire tales, games, misfit kids, and a bag of practical gags, most of which are played on camp director Morty (Hi Mickey!) Melnick (Harvey Atkin – Cagney and Lacey, Law and Order SVU).  All of the aforementioned mishegoss and ballyhoo culminates in the Olympiad Games, in which Camp North Star competes against their Ritchie Ritch summer neighbors, Camp Mohawk.

Acting:  Everyone does a fine job, but of note is Murray’s “big brother” relationship with Chris Makepeace (Mazes and Monsters, My Bodyguard).  The “big brother” archetypal relationship role inherently balances on a precarious border, one side of which is saccharin sentimentality; the other side is touching masterwork.  Murray and Makepeace’s on-screen relationship is far closer to the latter than the former, and stands as early evidence of Murray’s Oscar nominated abilities.

Blu-ray transfer:   I’ve watched a number of 80s comedies on Blu-ray, and hands down, Meatballs takes it.   Consider the clarity and crispness particularly of the night swimming scenes with Bill Murray and his counselor love interest, Roxanne (Kate Lynch– Defcon-4, Ann of Green Gables).  Chris Makepeace’s eyes are so blue they almost glow.  Even if you own the Special Edition Meatballs DVD released in 2007, the Blu-ray edition is a must have for the transfer alone.

Special Features:  Against the 2007 Special Edition of Meatballs, which includes a comprehensive three-part making-of featurette, the Blu-ray edition feels a bit anorexic in the extras department.

• Audio commentary with Director Ivan Reitman and Co-Writer/Producer Dan Goldberg
• Trailer Gallery

Overall:  If you love early 80s teen flicks in general, and summer camp flicks in particular, then you need to see if not own this movie.  Yes, the humor is dated, and Tripper’s aggressive attempt to “wrestle” with Roxanne comes off a bit rapey to modern eyes, but Meatballs’ heart and message are still relevant and have weathered the years with admirable grace.  If you have them, do your kids a favor and strictly forbid them from seeing this film.  Just make sure you leave the Blu-ray within semi-easy reach.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Meatballs on Blu-ray 3.5 out of 5 mystery meat guesses!

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