Heavyweights (1995)

Goodbye, summer! You were swell, but I'm so over this heat wave and ready to welcome fall!

I never went to summer camp as a kid, so I was always interested in movies that took place at camp (truthfully, I'm the least outdoorsy person ever so summer camp might have been torture for me). My favorite camp movie was always Heavyweights; it's over-the-top, a little cheesy, and totally fun. Needless to say, preteen Becca loved it.

11-year-old Gerry Garner (Aaron Schwartz) is horrified to learn that his parents are sending him to a "fat camp" for the summer. After arriving and meeting his fellow campers and the counselors, he starts to believe that he could have a great summer after all. Too bad a psychotic new owner (Ben Stiller) is taking over the camp!

Ben Stiller totally makes this movie. His insane performance is SO funny (kind of a precursor to his character in Dodgeball), and he keeps the movie watchable for me after all these years. The campers and counselors give the movie heart (Kenan Thompson is one of the kids, and Bridesmaids director and "Freaks and Geeks" creator Paul Feig plays "the fat kid turned skinny counselor"). It has go-kart races, junk food pig-outs, and a homemade prison! Woo!

So if you're feeling nostalgic for the mid-90s (and who ISN'T?) give this one a go. It's not high art, but it's silly and fun and that's exactly what I need to bid summer farewell.