Flashback Friday-Heavy Weights (1995)

It’s no secret that our society and culture often judges based solely on physical appearance.

In the 1995 film, Heavyweights, Gerry Garner (Aaron Schwartz) is an overweight kid. His well-meaning parents send him to Camp Hope, a camp specifically created to help children like Gerry lose weight. Run by fitness crazy Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller), Tony wants to use the campers to promote his fitness plan. The campers soon learn that Tony is not all there. Gerry joins forced with head counselor Pat Finley (Tom McGowan) to not only force Tony out, but to finally beat a rival camp.

I think the quality that makes this movie stand out is that the main characters are outsiders. They go to camp to lose the weight and loose the outsider status, but in the process, find the strength and courage to own that outsider status.

I recommend it.

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