Meatballs

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Meatballs

PG

1979

1h 32m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Tripper is the head counselor at a budget summer camp called Camp Northstar. In truth, he's young at heart and only marginally more mature than the campers themselves. Tripper befriends Rudy, a loner camper who has trouble fitting in. As Tripper inspires his young charges to defeat rival Camp Mohawk in the annual Olympiad competition, Rudy plays matchmaker between Tripper and Roxanne, a female counselor at Northstar.

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Critics Consensus

Meatballs is a summer camp comedy with few surprises, but Bill Murray's riffing adds a spark that sets it apart from numerous subpar entries in a frequently uninspired genre.

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James Jackson

The Times (UK)

Nov 18, 2022

Along with the set pieces of comic disaster there’s also a touching (sort of) subplot as Tripper brings the shy boy Rudy (Chris Makepeace) out of his shell and makes him realise his true worth.

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Yardena Arar

Associated Press

Sep 20, 2019

If one or two fall flat, so what. The next probably will hit your funnybone.

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Frank Rich

TIME Magazine

Oct 5, 2008

Through it all, Murray smiles and forges ahead, but his big riffs have been edited down to frantic bursts of mugging.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 6, 2026

The comic invention of "Meatballs" is sporadic at best.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 16, 2025

2.5/4

The lack of mean-spiritedness is refreshing.

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Ed Travis

Hollywood Jesus

Mar 31, 2020

...while Meatballs is not a very good movie, you still kind of wish you could have gone to Camp North Star as a camper.

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lolblog T

@RT47829063 Oct 22, 2026

a cliche Boy Scout trash story, it felt like the director didnt even knew what to write anymore and just wrote the first obvious thing he could just to end the movie. 0 out of 10

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 19, 2026

Meatballs = a *3* star Movie!

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Lincoln L

@Linkolnbio2 Jul 14, 2026

Generic and uninspired

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Robert F

@furryfilmnerd Jul 14, 2026

Perfect for a 12-year-old in 1979, not so much 47 years later. Murray was still on SNL when this came out, and that gave it instant appeal. This was his first starring role and Chris Makepeace's first credited film role. Fairly harmless, and not too gross. Overall themes are generally positive. I really liked it as a 12-year-old. Kind of similar to Bless The Beasts and The Children.

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Ben L

@Ptrex Jan 3, 2026

A true classic required viewing if you don’t want to turn soy or find yourself with an annoying partner.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Dec 16, 2025

It was awesome! It really put the camp in campiness at the camp! I'm surprised the audience score isn't higher. I thought it was great.

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Ivan Reitman

Director

Bill Murray

Tripper

Chris Makepeace

Rudy

Kate Lynch

Roxanne

Harvey Atkin

Morty

Kristine DeBell

A.L.

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Synopsis

Tripper is the head counselor at a budget summer camp called Camp Northstar. In truth, he's young at heart and only marginally more mature than the campers themselves. Tripper befriends Rudy, a loner camper who has trouble fitting in. As Tripper inspires his young charges to defeat rival Camp Mohawk in the annual Olympiad competition, Rudy plays matchmaker between Tripper and Roxanne, a female counselor at Northstar.

Director: Ivan Reitman
Producer: Daniel Goldberg
Screenwriter: Len Blum, Daniel Goldberg, Harold Ramis, Janis Allen
Production Co: Famous Players, CFDC, Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 13, 2015
Runtime: 1h 32m

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