Heavyweights - DisneyCember

[@ChannelAwesome]

Attention campers. Lunch has been cancelled due to lack of hustle. Deal with it. Thoughts on Heavyweights?

[@TramiNguyen-oi3kp]

Awesome!

[@air03man]

"DISNEYCEMBER 2024 DAY 10TH HEADS TO SUMMER CAMP WITH "HEAVYWEIGHTS" I NEVER WENT TO A SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM BUT I SEEN LOADS OF SUMMER CAMP FILMS SO MY THOUGHTS ON "HEAVYWEIGHTS" IT'S JUST OK WITH STARS OF BEN STILLER & A YOUNG KENAN THOMPSON IT'S FUN FOR A LAUGH SO TO WRAP IT UP IF YOU BEEN TO SUMMER CAMP OR SEEN A CAMP FILM & GO SEE "HEAVYWEIGHTS" FOR YOUR SUMMER VACATION & REMEMBER HAVE FUN!"

[@trinaq]

@@ChannelAwesome I always looked back fondly at it, as it was a big part of my childhood.

[@Myself-yf5do]

Now that you've done this, Dreamworksuary, Twilight Tober Zone, and Bat May, you should do Nickuly/Aprilodeon and June Henson.

[@Killspawn666]

​@@trinaqmine too😁

[@ponygon777]

Fun Fact: the original owners of Camp Hope were played by Ben Stiller's real life parents, Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara. So in a way, Ben Stiller bought out his parent's camp.

[@vguyver2]

They have repeatedly popped up together on each other's productions. Usually it's annoying when they do this in films because one kid or parent might not actually have talent, but these three worked wonderfully together in films.

[@TheNorthie]

Ben Stiller apparently got in the best shape of his life for this role. And everyone jokes that Ben Stiller in this was Proto-White Goodman.

[@chrisharris6425]

@@TheNorthie I like the theory he IS Whyte Goldman after getting out of jail and changing his name to hide himself from what happened at camp hope. Which explains why he goes and gains in the dodgeball post credits

[@strangerinwhite]

​@@chrisharris6425 I heard both are meant to be cousins.

[@Tadicuslegion78]

I will die on the hall Heavyweights and Dodgeball are the same universe and Ben Stiller IS the same person

[@Mytkos910]

I was wondering if this was a prequel to Dodgeball 😂

[@leephillips4402]

Literally just asked that then I saw your comment under mine.

[@gingergoddess8953]

"Follow the program, and you'll all be skinny winners." "Skinny weiners?!"

[@Killspawn666]

Do you think I'm crazy? I'm not crazy, I just believe in you. And I believe in you, call and order now. Now, let's go get our hands dirty.

[@OVWX]

"The key word is value. Do you have any? No way! Because you're a loser! A loser with a skinny weiner!" 😂

[@OVWX]

"The key word is value. Do you have any? No way! Because you're a 1oser! A 1oser with a skinny weiner!"

[@trinaq]

For a movie made almost thirty years ago, the message that fat people deserve to be humanised, and not constantly shamed based on their appearances, still holds up. Also, the bullying and fat shaming caused by Tony and his fitness gurus is rightly perceived as psychologically damaging.

[@lainiwakura1776]

It doesn't say there's nothing wrong with overweight, more like fat people are people too and to not go too extreme with being healthy or being unhealthy.

[@Rogar555]

@@lainiwakura1776 This right here

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

Thank you. There's lots wrong with being overweight, it's affected countries like Mexico worse than the US to the point where diabetes is their highest cause of mortality

[@pusheenqueen519]

​@@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881 Yeah because of the pandemic. The reason the mortality rate skyrocketed in recent years was due to people in Mexico who have diabetes (to say nothing of other preexisting health conditions) were some of the people most vulnerable to the virus. And you can get diabetes without being overweight. There was a similar trend in America, not to mention the fact most people with life threatening conditions aren't able to access treatment...

[@Alvaro89Rus]

not, not enough fatty suffering!

[@JC051210]

“ get on the scale” .2 seconds later “ get off the scale”. 😂😂

[@briangebbia6001]

When I was in 7th grade (about 1999) my US history teacher had the brilliant idea that to motivate the class to be quiet and pay attention, she would occasionally show us 5-to-10-minute segments of Heavyweights as a reward at the end of class until we watched the whole movie. The plan backfired as the whole class treated Heavyweights like it was the greatest movie ever made. The majority of questions in class became about Heavyweights and when we could watch more of it. This battle of wills went on for a couple of months until out of exasperation she let us watch the final 25 minutes or so all at once.

[@zachwalker522]

I always thought that Ben Stiller's character in Heavyweight is or related to his character in Dodgeball

[@alexanderguerrero347]

Nah that’s just Ben stiller the man. He’s a big fitness guy

[@El.Rincon.Cinefilo]

On the 10th "DisneyCember" my Critic gave to Me... -. Ten Fat Kids -. Nine Slasher Killers -. Eight Lame Jedis -. Seven Pointless Movies -. Six Cops From The Future FIVE SWEARING HEROES!! -. Four Spider-Man Games -. Three Complex Emotions -. Two Returning Mutants And a Twist Dance with a lot of Feet

[@trinaq]

I love reading your comment chains, they give me SO much life! ❤

[@Killspawn666]

Now THAT'S funny😂

[@LuteFrontier]

lol good one

[@jaxonedwardson458]

great job

[@Faetan]

"Come on you devil log!" is a quote that lives in my heart forever.

[@williamdixon-gk2sk]

My brother and I qoute Uncle Tony at the gym constantly. That one, "do it to it, Lars." and " I'm too...motivated!" Are the go-to's.

[@Greenscyth22]

"Especially you! Garner, Gerald. Age 11, 146 lbs. So come on pops, you want a piece of me? Cuz NO one is taking this camp from me!" That line is burned into my memory from this movie. I nearly pissed my pants laughing. Ben Stiller was killin it in this movie.

[@trinaq]

Me too, Ben Stiller was legitimately scary to young me, and he really slayed playing an antagonist.

[@speedyboris]

"How do you like the food here-" "It's great, Tony." "Wait 'til I FINISH THE QUESTION!"

[@scrollcaps]

My sister and I loved this move. We still yell "body!" at each other if someone mentions the buddy system. No one gets it.

[@GBmovieluv]

That part was pretty funny

[@zealosreten1024]

A few days ago at work one of my tables said to me "do it to it lars" after they ordered and I said back " my pleasure tony" they were blown away that I got the reference 😂

[@JayJayFig54]

Lars shouting, “You’ve broken my camera!!” still makes me crack up today 😂

[@karrihart1]

“Put your fat finger down!”

[@MajorOutage]

BUDDY!

[@JayJayFig54]

@@MajorOutage Bu-ddyyyyyyy!

[@GoBlue_yanks42]

@@JayJayFig54BUDDDDYYYY

[@scottvasquez1401]

You forgot to mention is that this was written by Judd Aptow. This is an underrated film and Perkins is such a good villain. He is like-ably disposable and I like his unpredictable shifts from being your pal or wanting to rip you apart in an instant.

[@caliban5505]

This movie means a lot to me. I grew up as “the fat kid” and I wanted to hang out at Camp Hope, so I watched it all of the time. Now that I’m older, it actually holds up really well.

[@brocksampson3405]

The fact that Jerry Stiller and his wife were in this film together as husband and wife, knowing they're husband and wife in real life, is kind of a fun surprise there. Especially when you see that Jerry and Ben Stiller are father and son in real life.

[@filmbuff2777]

She also appeared in plenty of episodes of King of Queens as well.

[@MegaMr46]

Yet Ben Stiller plays Tony Perkins Sr, the father of the film’s antagonist

[@MajorOutage]

@@MegaMr46 Stiller's undercover character in Starsky and Hutch took very clear inspiration from Tony Sr.

[@brocksampson3405]

@@filmbuff2777 I remember that. My mom loves that show and I've grown fond of how funny that show is.

[@brocksampson3405]

@@MegaMr46 Kind of makes you wonder what that was like to play two characters in a film.

[@hibachiagent0249]

This is one of my favorite movies ever. My grandma had it on VHS and everytime I went to her house I watched it. I still watch it almost a dozen times a year. Such a fun movie for every age.

[@katherinepfister4177]

I love that you are taking a look at this underrated gem. It’s such a fever dream. I love it.

[@lainiwakura1776]

Underrated? I think this movie was fairly popular with kids.

[@not_an_undercover_cop]

“Come here you devil log” is something I’ve quoted for decades whenever I have to lift something.

[@thefanwithoutaface8105]

1:37 Fun little piece of trivia that's Paul Feig in this movie. Yes, the guy who directed the 2016 Ghostbusters movie plays the skinny counselor Tim in this movie. Talk about a WTF realization.

[@michaelbrennan9156]

One bad movie doesn't a career make, Bridesmaids is still a classic.

[@davidnottennant1161]

Also, he and Pat co-starred together in Sabrina the Teenage Witch as teachers!

[@trinaq]

No joke, I was terrified of Ben Stiller as a child, thinking that he was a shouty, domineering control freak in real life. He plays antagonists well.

[@MajorOutage]

My girlfriend hates him and thinks he's ugly. I have only been mildly successful at getting her to sit through movies where he's the villain. Which sucks because I really think she would enjoy Walter Mitty but for the fact he plays the main character.

[@SimonKnight1023]

@@MajorOutageyour gf is…different.

[@Poever]

Every Disneycember, Doug keeps finding new obscure live action Disney flicks from the 90s to fill in the gaps

[@danprentice7073]

Ben Stiller is weirdly great playing fitness lunatics .

[@thewewguy8t88]

He's better then you and you know it! :)

[@thewewguy8t88]

Also but why male models?

[@karrihart1]

I watched this movie over and over as a kid.

[@TheOdoyle72]

I love all the fan theories connecting this movie to Ben Stiller in Dodgeball

[@ridleycastillo5518]

I think the message in the end wasn't that they were criticizing them for being fat, but instead teaching them to make healthier choices with food and exercise. The point isn't that you have to be super skinny to be healthy, what matters is that you're taking care of yourself no matter your size

[@motor4X4kombat]

On the 10th day of Disneycember the critic gave for me: 10 marshmallow pizzas 9 scary movies. 8 red shirt jedi 7 cats & mices 6 LAAAAUUUUU keepers FIVE WOLVERINEEES! 4 symbiote suits 3 new emotions 2 mutant team ups And a tasty Big Kahuna Burger

[@MauXtrem]

Always love your chain

[@MetallicGopher]

As a little kid I watched this movie often. It basically centers itself around treating the viewer, the child, as though they are smart. Kids like me that couldn't go to summer camp get an experience of seeing how they are. It reminds me of The Parent Trap.

[@BugsyFoga]

That time Judd Apatow did a Disney film.

[@Charles12]

I think was his first too

[@zanemartin6699]

He didn’t direct it but he was a writer and executive producer for the movie

[@McCheeseincakes]

"it's not good..." That's it Doug, lunch has been canceled, deal with it.

[@paulienuti8031]

Bro it’s Doug’s opinion

[@TheJacksontoy]

Doug Walker is a loser with a skinny wiener.

[@ridleycastillo5518]

This is one of my all-time favorite movies, partly due to nostalgia and the fact that it was shot in my home town, but also for how real it feels. This was a 90's Disney film but has light swearing in it, and it goes pretty dark given what you'd expect from it. The kids and counselors talk like real people and my siblings and I quote them all the time. Yeah it's got it's flaws but it makes me laugh every time and it'll always hold a dear place in my heart

[@puppetmaster-oo2qe]

I love this movie! One of my favorite underrated 90’s Disney film

[@bonniethelass7892]

As an overweight kid in the 90s I loved this movie. As an adult I still love this movie.❤

[@onegirlarmy4401]

I didn't really understand all of the crude "boy" humor in the movie, but I loved seeing a cast of fat kids like me. There still haven't been very many movies with all of the cast overweight. It would have been even better if the focus wasn't on their weight at all.

[@neveza]

This review made me think about american culture around summer camps and how the idea/setting died by the 2000s. 90s full of them for kids, and 70s/80s were always a setting for party/horror films.

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

This movie always had a bit of a following among 90's kids.

[@ABtheButterfly]

i feel like the counselor Pat looks more like the main character Gerry's dad than the actual dad, not because they're both overweight but because they really look related i wonder if that was an accident or if they chose two actors who look like they could play father and son despite not actually being father and son, maybe it's symbolic

[@PatricksCrazyPlace]

I loved this movie as a kid entirely because of Ben Stiller. His character was so psychotic, I thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

[@wstine79]

🎶 On the tenth day of DISNEYCEMBER, the Critic gave to me... "Attention campers. Lunch has been cancelled due to lack of hustle. Deal with it." "What's your favorite scary movie?" "The Power of one. The Power of two. The Power of Many." "WE'VE GOT TO HAVE MONEY!" "YOU BETRAYED THE LAW!" "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?!" "WE... ARE YOUR SON!" "Welp, there's a preview of the next ten years." "TO ME, MY X-MEN!!" and a "Royale With Cheese!"

[@ceeb420]

As the "fat kid" of my school growing up, this movie means the world to me. It's not winning any Oscar's, but for a 90s children's comedy, it's a fun watch.

[@skrachvynl]

Roy: "I just saw the new nurse, and she's VERY attractive" Josh: "This *PLEASES* me"

[@mrodriguez16ks]

such a GOAT line

[@beeseumz]

This was one of my favorite movies growing up. Ben Stiller absolutely killed this role.

[@joshjohnson6891]

Man I miss these kind of movies they were geared towards kids but they had mean-spirited jokes in situations that were way funnier than most kid movies these days the 90s were wild

[@Jamal-bl7yh]

Thank God's Infinite Mercy For Sparing Us a Heavyweights Disney + series I tried watching Turner and Hooch (based on the 1989 Touchstone Pictures movie) and It was Unwatchable hell I'm surprised Ol' Mickey hasn't touched more obscure stuff like Gone Fishin' they'd probably put that on ABC Family during the early to mid 2010's before the Freeform rebrand In 2017

[@littlereyrey]

I remember two things from this movie, the part in the race where the one kid thought the painting of the Mona Lisa was of Cher, and this line: "HEY! DON'T PEE IN THE WATER! DON'T DRINK THE WATER! HE PEED IN IT!

[@Resilient_Sage88]

Lars and his "BUDDY!!!" scream gets me every time

[@David-cj3zz]

This was mine and my friend Mike's favorite movie. We were both overweight and related to it a lot. Lots of good memories watching this movie smoking blunts talking about a childhood we didn't share but had in common. He died 10 years ago on the 13th. I'm glad to see it get a mention.

[@ridleycastillo5518]

"Don't put twinkies on your pizza"

[@michaelbrennan9156]

Attention campers, lunch has been cancelled due to lack of hustle.

[@wolverinefangowings]

While we're at it, all the love to Shaun Weiss who was great in this and as Goldberg in Mighty Ducks. Had drug problems but is now almost 5 years sober.

[@PowerGlove79]

I'm really proud of him and how far he's come back from the brink

[@DawnOfTheOzz]

Having never seen this film before, my immediate thought was, "Oh, this is a prequel to Dodgeball."

[@CB-qg3yh]

There is something to be said about those breezy 90s flicks that aren't necessarily good, but just have a calming and innocent vibe to them like Little Rascals, The Adam's Family, or A Goofy Movie

[@nickdorenkamp959]

You know in my life I thought I would never see the following: Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller, and Paul Feig (yes, the same one who directed bridesmaids. He actually infact used to be an actor before he was a director) do a movie together.

[@TokitoTaishiro]

I absolutely loved this movie as a kid, my cousins had it at their house and we'd watch whenever we visited. It's so funny, and the messages were pretty good, too

[@Wildcat_Media]

Disney Channel played this movie a lot when I was a kid, so I’ve seen it quite a few times. It’s a fun movie and one I have fond memories of. Now I want to rewatch it.

[@indiefan92]

The thin counselor is Paul Feig, who later made FREAKS & GEEKS, BRIDESMAIDS, and the GHOSTBUSTERS remake

[@claytonrios1]

Ben Stiller definitely came across as unhinged at points. Camp Hope was Camp Hell for a while.

[@alexanderguerrero347]

Ben stiller is unhinged.

[@calebbarcelos]

The funniest scene in my opinion is when Ben Stiller at the end breaks glass cups and keeps walking forward. That cracked me up when I saw this movie 😂

[@sethrice4074]

YOU HAVE BROKEN MY CAMERA!!!!!!

[@Fantropolis]

"Congratulations, you are the fattest kid at camp"

[@mrodriguez16ks]

Then they applaud. I'm fairly positive that scene is the foundation to my sense of humor.

[@rogvortex58]

Wish I could have played on the blob.

[@mrodriguez16ks]

As a fat kid in the 90s and a fat adult now, this movie is one of the most important pieces of media to exist in my life.

[@dannyschaible7112]

"Fat" kids in the late 1900s got nothing on the jumbos we are cooking up these days. "Lunch has been cancelled today, due to a lack of hustle. Deal with it." I used to say this on the intercom at Wal-Mart when I was an assistant manager. Corporate never thought it was funny.

[@AoiUsagiOtoko]

ben stiller is funny as hell in this, seems like he was having a blast playing such an over-the-top villain. the kid actors are charming and funny too, i love the scene where everyone goes apeshit around the campfire lol

[@maniacx1626]

I always took the part after Stiller as Love who you are even if you are overweight, but still make the effort to be healthy. Which now as an adult I feel is missing from a lot of self love things. You should love yourself regardless of what you look like, but you should still try to hold yourself accountable for taking care of yourself.

[@WarhawkTanzania]

I remember seeing this a lot during reruns on Disney channel in the early 2000s.

[@petrastedman669]

I actually attended the premiere. They had a sundae bar at the front of the theatre, and I sat next to the kid who played Phillip, the redheaded drama geek. He was sweet.

[@Neck41]

Man i love this film. I always watch it every summer. Also i highly recommend getting the Blu Ray copy as it has an hour's worth of deleted scenes. Most of which flesh out Tony as a huge tragic character. He acts the way he is because his father didn't love him properly because he was fat. There was even a scene where he's losing it and monologuing a memory from his past. Saying all he wanted was a hug from his dad, how a hut doesn't cost a thing. But because of his weight he was rejected. That is deep. And in a way it gives a insight into Tony's reasonings for going so extreme. Because to me he doesn't want the boys to endure the same thing as he did. Also there was this one deleted scene that made me go WTF big time but yet I couldn't stop laughing for some reason. While Gerry was writing to his grandma, he included a part where Tony was making them do a theater play. In it we see Roy dressed up like a hobo looking for food through in a trash can. He finds a full fish skeleton, and all of a sudden the other boys dressed up like cats come out and surround him, all meowing. Tony yells "Cut" and chastised them, and told them how to act more cat like. Then telling Roy he should act like he found the holy grail. This was one of the most confusing scenes ever but I couldn't help but love it.

[@Morgil27]

I remember borrowing a vhs tape of this movie from my town library all TON when I was a kid.

[@Stburrell93]

Finally! I've been waiting 10 years for this one.

[@raingilkes3502]

Funny enough Beetlejuice the musical has Beetlejuice present from moment one, and far more constantly present, but it never feels like he overstays his welcome due to how it’s handled. So even Beetlejuice managed to do it better.

[@MasterDubik]

Always excited to see what disneycember video lands on my birthday and happy this is one of them haha

[@bl3343]

This and Camp Nowhere make for a pretty good double feature. I really hope Doug reviews Camp Nowhere for Disneycember.

[@Whyteroze28]

I absolutely love Camp Nowhere... I mean, we're not complete morons!

[@cmo3195]

One of my favorite movies from when I was a kid. I always wanted to go on the Blob

[@blerdygal]

This movie was a staple of my childhood. My siblings and I quote it to this day. "Feel the chi...repulse the monkey....part the wild horses mane..."🤣

[@josephhutton7574]

Tony: (Intense smiling) Can you SMELL it?

[@lasarousi]

Literally the movie that played while I played with my gi Joe's.

[@deathsceane]

Man I forgot how jacked Ben Stiller was for this movie. It still proves that Ben Stiller is at his best when he's the bad guy.

[@Myself-yf5do]

Now that you've done this, Dreamworksuary, Twilight Tober Zone, and Bat May, you should do Nickuly/Aprilodeon and June Henson.

[@Roadtripper5432]

Loved this film as a kid. Would even rent it from the video store. As a kid of the 90s who also loved the Mighty Ducks films.

[@Markimark151]

This movie is pretty raunchy for a kids Disney movie, I used to watch it with my cousins and we found it really funny and crazy!

[@daytonapeanut]

My family plays this movie to inaugerate the start of summer every year. Is this the kind of film worthy of an Oscar? No, but it's just a lot of fun and sometimes that's all that matters.

[@jamescoppock4448]

Doug answered my questions about why the Blazing Saddles fart joke works (0:40 to 0:47) and why Beetlejuice is the titular character but not the main character (2:50 to 3:00) and reminded me of a Simpsons episode I haven’t seen in a long time (5:32)

[@deltacharlieecho4732]

I don’t really think this is one of those movies you go into watching as an adult to be reminded of how great it was but more as a way to remember how different the world was when we were kids.

[@ravensirony8415]

Ahh Ben Stiller's audition for Dodgeball, classic

[@delaneymcdonell5774]

I remember my dad showing me this movie and I have absolutely loved it ever since. Ben Stiller is absolutely hilarious in this role

[@skyrogue1977]

There’s a theory that this movie is a prequel to Dodgeball.

[@JIF882]

I was just thinking of that

[@OVWX]

This isn't a good movie . . . it's a great movie! Always has a special place in my heart. "Never put Twinkies on your pizza."

[@alexellsworth3094]

I have been watching and laughing at this movie now 11 years longer than Pat Finley has been at Camp Hope 😭😂

[@riftshredder5438]

Wow, I'm not the only one that remembers this movie

[@chloenieuwsma4846]

I watched it once. Need to reevaluate it

[@TheLordmep]

I used to own this on VHS. Man, good times.

[@blakegiunta2745]

Wait, it took you this long to get to this movie

[@Orangechairstudios0520]

Omg Doug, thank you for at least finally giving us a Disneycember review on it

[@lens_hunter]

One of my all time favorite movies.

[@elfaulkner84]

I'm surprised you didn't talk about the Heavyweights and Dodgeball fan theory that Ben Stiller plays the same guy in both movies.

[@alexanderguerrero347]

Ben stiller isn’t acting he’s just very fit man.

[@jpennacchio87]

Yes! Been waiting for this Disneycember for years!!

[@thedarkdragon89]

I will always treasure this movie. I laugh so hard at it.

[@tayloredwards1675]

We’re going to use the Buddy system. BUDDY!

[@OcpCommunications]

It's not good? Nah. It's a cult classic and an underrated gem. There's a reason it has such a big cult following. It's a really charming, funny and entertaining movie with one of Stiller's best performances. "GET OFF THE SCALE!" And I disagree about waiting to build up to Perkis. The more Tony Perkis the better. And your ideas about making it better make it worse. Less Tony and waiting half the movie for him to show up, a more serious long Lord of the Flies sequence, or having the rival camp be more of a part of the movie early on. Those just make the film even more cliched and hurt the fast pace of it. It just seems like you saw the film for more than it is for some reason instead of just turning your brain off and enjoying the vibes, the characters and laughing at the better comedic moments. Which you mentioned but also didn't really give nearly enough credit. It's the perfect summer camp film to me. So many summer camp experiences can be just like this film. Some moments are fun and memorable, others aren't and others you'd like to forget. But it's the camaraderie between the fellow campers and the counselors and the valuable life lessons you learn along the way that make camp worth all the trouble.

[@pindakaas1811]

I still have this gem on vhs 👌🏾😊