Heavyweights

Like many films that attempt to be inspiring, Heavyweights uses the sound track like a rubber hose to beat the audience into submission. The movie is so honest and good-natured that it's hard to stay mad at it for long. [18 Feb 1995, p.E1]

This chance to warm the hearts of put-upon overweight kids ends up saying next to nothing, and that's a big, fat shame.[18 Feb 1995, p.21]

Just one more example of Hollywood cramming any old idea it can unearth into a moneymaking formula. [17 Feb 1995]

By the end, the film deteriorates into a combination sensitivity session and pep rally.

Painstakingly formulaic and uninspired (it could have been called The Mighty Guts), the lumbering comedy will unlikely make much of a dent at the boxoffice. [17 Feb 1995]

A frighteningly unfunny comedy. [17 Feb 1995, p.05]

There seems to be a message here about being true to yourself, but it's hard to find it under the blubber jokes.

I rewatched this film recently and couldn't believe I loved it so much as a child. It's a typical Kids Go To Camp film that pits children against the adults of the camp who are hired to ensure that the children are receiving proper nutrition and fitness. The film is illogical and unrealistic for a film based in realism, the reality being, a camp for boys who are overweight. The comedy doesn't hold up, but seems like it would be far more entertaining for a child who can relate to the experience of the characters.