Media Mediation #4: "I Eat Success for Breakfast...with Skim Milk."

Sometimes it's necessary to drink some beers and throw on the world's most epic film ever to grace our presence: Heavyweights AKA Fat Camp.



Not only is this Disney's most glorious film (The Mighty Ducks is up there too), but it has to be one of Ben Stiller's best roles.

HEAVY ON THE MIND:

REPTILIAN: Fight or Flight when it comes to the whack job Tony Perkis.

LIMBIC: The soundtrack to this movie is FLAWLESS. The music fits into the scenes perfectly, my personal favorite You Sexy Thang by Hot Chocolate, which is playing at the Camp dance...YES.



NEOCORTEX: This is obviously a Disney film, but there are so many underlying jokes that I would have never picked up on as a child.
Tony Perkis: "Tonight's lecture: Liposuction, option or obsession?"


EIGHT SHIFTS:

TECHNOLOGICAL SHIFT:
I couldn't find this movie in any stores, so I went to Amazon and bought it for a couple of bucks.

DISCURSIVE SHIFT:
Back in the 90's Disney was actually putting out movies (besides animation, I can't knock them) that were hilarious for kids, not about kids trying to be grown up by the time they are 12.

PERSONAL SHIFT:
Stop reading this blog about this movie and YouTube it!

SEVEN PRINCIPLES:

OWNERSHIP:
This film was made by Disney, but not the same Disney that is taking over the world today.

VALUE MESSAGES:
This movie is trying to be funny when it comes weight problems and extremes when it comes to exercise and food. In the end though, the campers do recognize that healthy choices are important.

PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES:
The film is shot so that it really does feel as though it is at a real camp.

INDIVIDUAL MEANING:
This has got to be one of my favorite movies of all time, it still makes me crack up even after the millionth time watching it.


PERSUASION:

SYMBOLS:
The best symbol in this movie is from the Perkis System T-Shirt. The front has a symbol to look like Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and the back says "I'm Perkisizing". SO GOOD.



HUMOR:
This entire movie is based on humor. I love watching anything that will make me laugh so I have put Today's Big Thing on my RSS feeder so I can giggle everyday.

PLAIN FOLKS:
All of the guys in the film are supposed to be just plain folks who are a little chunky.

GROUP DYNAMICS:
It's either you are with the campers or not. The campers make a group in order to stop Tony Perkis and take the camp back.




We love Heavyweights, do you?