Heavyweights facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Heavyweights |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Steven Brill |
| Produced by | Roger Birnbaum Joe Roth Morgan Michael Fottrell Charles J.D. Schlissel Jack Giarraputo |
| Written by | Steven Brill Judd Apatow |
| Starring |
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| Music by | J. A. C. Redford |
| Cinematography | Victor Hammer |
| Editing by | C. Timothy O'Meara |
| Studio | Walt Disney Pictures Caravan Pictures |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 17, 1995 |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Money made | $17.6 million |
Heavyweights is a fun comedy film from 1995. It's all about a summer camp for kids that focuses on health and fitness. The movie was directed by Steven Brill, who also helped write the story with Judd Apatow. The main adventure begins when a super strict fitness expert named Tony Perkis, played by Ben Stiller, takes over the camp. He has some very different ideas about how summer camp should be!
Plot Summary
When summer vacation starts, a boy named Gerry Garner is sent to Camp Hope. It's a special camp for boys who want to lose weight and get healthy. Gerry isn't too excited at first. But then he meets Pat, a friendly camp counselor. He also makes friends with other campers. These new friends have smuggled in lots of yummy snacks for the summer!
On the first night, everyone learns something surprising. The old owners of Camp Hope couldn't keep it going. A fitness expert named Tony Perkis Jr. bought the camp. Tony wants to turn the camp into a TV show to sell his fitness program.
Tony quickly changes everything at Camp Hope. He replaces fun activities like go-karts with tough exercise routines. Pat, the nice counselor, is replaced by a very strict new counselor named Lars. The campers even have a hard softball game against the super competitive Camp MVP. Tony then finds and takes away all the secret snacks the boys had hidden. A camper named Josh speaks up for Gerry by teasing Tony. Because of this, Josh is sent home, and his parents don't get their money back. The other campers wonder what happened to Josh.
Tony sets up a dance with a girls' camp, Camp Magnolia. He hopes it will make the boys feel embarrassed so they'll try to lose weight. But counselors Tim, Pat, and camp nurse Julie help everyone have a good time. Josh then returns to Camp Hope! He explains that his dad, who is a lawyer, said he would take Tony to court for sending Josh home.
Gerry and his friends sneak into Tony's office. They are looking for their confiscated snacks. While there, they find out that Tony has been stopping all the letters the campers wrote to their families. This includes a letter Gerry wrote to his grandmother. They also discover a secret food stash used by most of the camp. This makes the boys gain weight. Tony then forces the boys on a very long twenty-mile hike. He is willing to put them in danger just for fitness.
The boys come up with a clever plan. They trick Tony into falling into a pit. Then they trap him at camp in a makeshift cell. They even make it electric with a bug zapper! With Pat, Julie, and Tim on their side, the campers take back control of Camp Hope. They tie up Lars and Tony's other counselors in the woods. Then they celebrate with a big bonfire party, eating lots of food.
The next morning, Pat encourages the campers to take responsibility for themselves. He tells them it's time to start losing weight in a healthy way. They all begin a healthier routine. They also make Camp Hope fun again. The boys' parents arrive for visiting day. They are shown a video that proves how mean Tony was. But Tony escapes his cell and interrupts the video! He fights with Gerry's father. Tony tries to do some backflips but accidentally knocks himself out.
As Tony is taken away, his own father arrives. He promises to give everyone their money back. But he also says the camp will close. The boys ask for the camp to stay open. Pat, who has worked at the camp for eighteen years, agrees to be in charge. Gerry and the others support him.
Under Pat's leadership, the campers bring back their favorite activities. They get ready to face Camp MVP in their yearly competition. Camp MVP takes the lead in the first event, which is an obstacle course. But Camp Hope catches up in the second round, a test of knowledge. In the final go-kart race, Gerry wins the competition for Camp Hope! Pat shows everyone that having fun is more important than winning. He throws the trophy in the lake. He also shares a kiss with Julie, showing their romance. As Camp Hope celebrates their victory, Gerry thanks Pat for the best summer of his life.
After the movie credits, there's a short scene. It shows Tony as a salesman. He is trying to sell healing crystals door-to-door, but he isn't very good at it.
Cast
- Aaron Schwartz as Gerald "Gerry" Garner
- Ben Stiller as Tony Perkis, Jr. / Tony Perkis, Sr., Tony's father
- Tom McGowan as Patrick "Pat" Finley
- Tim Blake Nelson as Roger Johnson
- Jeffrey Tambor as Maury Garner
- Joseph Wayne Miller as Salami "Sam" Dampier
- Jerry Stiller as Harvey Bushkin
- Anne Meara as Alice Bushkin
- Shaun Weiss as Josh Birnbaum
- Kenan Thompson as Roy Murphy
- David Bowe as Chris Donnelly
- Leah Lail as Julie Belcher
- Paul Feig as Tim Orford
- Tom Hodges as Lars
- Max Goldblatt as Phillip Grubenov
- Robert Zalkind as Simms
- Patrick La Brecque as Dawson
- Nancy Ringham as Mrs. Garner
- Allen Covert as Kenny Parry, the cameraman
- Cody Burger as Cody Farley
- David Goldman as Nicholas Wales
- Judd Apatow as Homer Schulz
- Lauren Michelle Hill as Josie, the angelic girl
- Peter Berg as the chef (uncredited)
See also
In Spanish: Pesos pesados (película) para niños
