Bill Murray’s Forgotten 70s Feature Film Debut Changed Comedy Forever

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 22 seconds ago

Whenever fans talk about the best Bill Murray movies, they always call out the obvious ones: crowd pleasers like Ghostbusters, quirky comedies like Groundhog Day, and even mournful indies like Lost in Translation. Each of those films is a great choice, and they collectively demonstrate Bill Murray’s surprising range of depth as an actor. However, none of those films ever quite match the easygoing charm of Meatballs, the 1979 summer camp comedy from future Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman.

Compared to Murray’s big-budget films, Meatballs has a decidedly lo-fi charm. It’s about a summer camp filled with youngsters trying to discover who they really are. The counselors are doing the same thing, and they form a cozy, found family relationship with the kids they are watching over. It’s a film filled with colorful characters and one amazing line after another, but this ‘70s banger gets a little more forgotten every year. Fortunately, it’s currently streaming for free on Tubi, meaning that you’re just one click away from the discovery of a lifetime (or, at least, the afternoon): Bill Murray’s first big film may be his best!

The premise of Meatballs is that Murray’s character is the leader of some counselors-in-training for a low-rent summer camp in Ontario. He quickly bonds with one of the young camp attendees who’s still reeling from the death of his mother. Meanwhile, the camp is filled with drama of different stripes. For example, several of the counselors (including Murray’s character) are looking for love, but they still find the time to play the most elaborate jokes on the camp director. By the third act, Meatballs becomes the ultimate snobs-vs-slobs film as our down-and-dirty campers must compete against the wealthy elites from a rich, rival summer camp.

As you can probably tell from that description, Meatballs isn’t a movie filled with lots of dramatic events. Instead, it’s very much a vibes-based film where you get to kick back and have fun with the nerdy kids and their horny, somewhat inept counselors. Unsurprisingly, Bill Murray is the most entertaining performer, constantly bouncing off other actors like the hilariously understated Harvey Atkin. While Murray is filled with his signature quirky quips, he gives a very heartfelt performance, especially when he’s acting alongside young Chris Makepeace. The result is a movie that provides plenty of laughs along with a surprisingly large number of warm and fuzzy moments.

The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship

If you’re a major Bill Murray fan, it’s also worth watching Meatballs because it quietly represents a major turning point in his career. After all, it’s not just his first big film; it’s also the first time that he collaborated with the late, great Harold Ramis, one of the film’s writers. The very next year, Ramis would direct Murray in the seminal early ‘80s classic Caddyshack. Over a decade later, Ramis also directed Murray in Groundhog Day, considered one of the cynical actor’s finest films. Notably, Ramis co-wrote those films, and he also co-wrote the two Ghostbusters films that arguably transformed Murray into a household name and bankable superstar.

Speaking of Ghostbusters, Meatballs is also the first breakout film for Ivan Reitman, who would later direct the first two Ghostbusters movies. Meatballs established his close, working relationship with both Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, and the trio soon reunited to create the military comedy Stripes. Arguably, it is these early experiences that helped the three men gel as a creative team, which is a big part of why Ghostbusters was so impossibly good. That’s right, ‘Buster fans, this proton-packing ‘80s icon of a film may have never existed (or simply fizzled out altogether) if not for a largely-forgotten camp counselor comedy starring Bill Murray.

But The Kids Love Him

While Murray later became famous for his ad-libbing on set, it was the immaculately well-written Meatballs that helped establish his particular brand of laconic, wiseacre humor. My absolute favorite part of the movie is when his character is called upon to give an inspirational speech about how their camp could totally beat their wealthy rivals in an upcoming competition. Murray goes into a sarcastic rant about how their improbable victory is meaningless because the cute girls will just go out with the wealthy jerks anyway. He ultimately reassures everyone with a chant that perfectly captures jaded Gen X malaise: “it just doesn’t matter. IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER!”

In many ways, that scene is the true essence of Meatballs. Murray’s attempts at reassurance seem cavalier and cynical at first glance, but he’s actually being a good counselor here and imparting a lesson on his young camp enrollees. Focusing entirely on an arbitrary competition with rivals who have beaten them for the last 12 years is foolish. By emphasizing that victory doesn’t really matter, Murray’s character encourages the kids to focus on what does matter: their own accomplishments and their willingness to help each other succeed. Is it sweet and schmaltzy? Sure, but what else were you expecting from a movie that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve?   

All You Can Eat Comedy

Incidentally, that competition with a rival camp helps the final act of this 1979 film transform Meatballs into a staple of ‘80s comedies: a snobs vs. slobs showdown. It’s the same reliable formula that would transform later films like Stripes and Caddyshack into such influential hits. The formula works because it forces us to root for our misfit outsiders against a group of pretty and popular kids. This results in broad comedy that all audiences will get a real kick out of. However, if you were ever a weird outcast kid made to feel weak and small by the beautiful, rich kids, you will likely find the climax of Meatballs particularly resonant.

Do you want your streaming forecast to be cloudy, with a chance of Meatballs? That’s easy enough. Just row, row, row over to your remote control and stream this quirky cult hit for free on Tubi. It’s the movie that properly launched Ivan Reitman’s career, kicking off a collaboration between himself, Harold Ramis, and Bill Murray that absolutely dominated the ‘80s. Therefore, it’s worth watching as a piece of cinematic history or simply as a vehicle for some of Bill Murray’s best lines. Come for the killer quips and stay for the weird earworm that is Rick Dees’ “Meatballs” song!