Meatballs Part II

I was working at an actual summer camp the Summer this piece of crap was released. It was my sixth year at camp, as camper and counselor, and a big bunch of us (counselors) went on a day off to see it, with huge expectations. Needless to say, this 'film' has absolutely nothing to do with the mighty original. Rent the DVD of the original and watch the 'making of' part. It's a third as long and a hundred times better than this "sequel". I give it 2/10 only because there might be enough weed on Earth to make this vaguely amusing. Assuming you're watching it on a TV with only one channel.

IMDb demands ten lines of text to post a comment, so I guess they are intimately involved with the cretins that thought this was a viable movie. Actually, I'm sure they made money on it due to a budget of twelve dollars. The film was shot with a MONO soundtrack? Yeah, that's the way to save a couple grand! If only it had gone straight to VHS - I'd have saved my $3.75 back in 1984.

"I have an idea" someone said, "lets make a sequel to Meatballs and have it be completely moronic and groan inducing!". After the movie was made and released the person said "dude, I was making a joke". And so Meatballs 2 was made and while it is in fact about a summer camp and more of a sequel to the original than the third one is, I still think this one is the worst of the bunch. Granted a few jokes make me chuckle which is why I nicely gave this movie a three rather than a one or two. The plot? Why bother, it involves some dude who does not want to be a counselor, an alien, and a brawl for it all boxing match between two summer camps, one regular and a military type one. That is the gist of it, and if you are wondering, yes the alien is friendly and probably inserted thanks to the success of E.T. two years prior. Bill Murray is not in this movie and can you blame him, while they made this movie he was making Ghostbusters. Instead they got Richard Mulligan, who I like in some roles, not this one. They also begin easing this series of movies into more of a teen sex series, but only lightly in this one.

The first "Meatballs" had Bill Murray, Chris Makepeace, a lot of laughs and no alien subplot.

"Meatballs II" has Richard Mulligan, Paul (Pee-Wee Herman) Ruebens, Hamilton Camp, Archie Hahn, John Larroquette, a few laughs and an alien subplot.

By the time "Meatballs II" came out, there had already been so many ripoffs of "Meatballs" that this just paled liberally by comparison (TIDBIT - this in fact was a "Meatballs" ripoff originally, until the rights were grabbed up and it was released instead as "Meatballs II". Who says there aren't any new ideas in Hollywood?).

In spite of the mountain of talent in "Meatballs II", there is little in the way of actual humor. Instead, you have a hyperventilating Richard Mulligan, an off-center Paul Reubens playing in Pee-Wee mode, a screaming Hamilton Camp, a horny Archie Hahn, a lisping John Laroquette, and your usual plethora of horny teens, junior class military cadets, brain-dead boxers, and pot-smoking aliens who ask why camp counselors are such dorks.

There's the major laughs; do with them what you will. And whatever you do with these laughs, it's more than what "Meatballs II" could ever do with them.

Two and a half stars. Maybe there's just something about Pee-Wee Herman. Or John Larroquette. Or Richard Mulligan....

Remember when we used to be satisfied to go the movies and watch bad actors from sitcoms strut around cheap sets and make dumb jokes? Well, if you were born anytime after 1980, you probably don't remember seeing any cheesy 80s flicks in their original context. Meatballs II doesn't claim to be anything other than one of these "campy" movies, so view it with a good attitude and watch to see what actors you recognize. I recently watched this movie for the first time in the 21st century (probably skipping all of the 90s) and, being a good ten years older and wiser, saw it as the bunch of foolishness it really is. However, it's an essential 80s flick full of outdated costumes and corny exercise music. I still have yet to hear anyone use the expression "pinky" in this context. The opening scene still has me rolling on the floor.

i'm hoping anyone who has seen meatballs 2 can remember a scene where the kids are watching a movie on a projector...i can't remember the blooming name of it...its got guys in black jumpsuits wearing black goggles walking zombie-like thru a swamp...

if anyone can help me out it would be much appreciated

and what about Kevin Arnold's's brother from the wonder years about 4 years before the wonder years started.

anyway...as kid camp movies go... meatballs 2 ain't bad...

shame they pulled the sex scenes tho...!!!

anyone with any links to them either...???