Meatballs

Meatballs has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Foxtel Now, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube TV. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Bill Murray sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on Foxtel Now and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Meatballs earns its spot. The jokes in Meatballs land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. 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. Bill Murray and Harvey Atkin lead a cast that never overplays a joke. It hit screens in 1979. What keeps Meatballs from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Meatballs is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Bill Murray is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.