As a "hefty" child Gerry's parents decide to send him to a Fat Camp and, although initially shocked, the camp looks like a lot of fun and starts really well. However only a few days into the camp, the long-time owners are forced to sell to fitness freak and would-be guru Tony Perkis. Quickly the camp goes from being one of family fun to resembling more of a prison camp, with a tight regime and cruel ownership. Gradually, as Perkis' mental state deteriorates, the group decide to take a stand.
With the Disney logo and the afternoon slot on television, I was ready for a rather childish tone to the film and I accepted it from the start. The plot is obvious and predictable throughout but really this is like complaining that water is wet, what is important that the film is fun for both kids and adults. In some ways it succeeds and the film is pretty enjoyable on a basic level even if it could have been better. The silly tone is quite fun even if it is all aimed at older children (7 11) and not adults, I was amused by it even if I didn't really get into it sharper material and more inventive and witty writing would have greatly improved it but it does what it does just about well enough to be worth watching.
The cast reflect the material and is full of broad (in all senses) characters who are very much cookie-cutter in their development and really don't do much more than basic pratfalls and so on there are no real people here and the performances are average. The kids are all so-so and suit the material while the adults pretty much do the same stuff. I had reasonable hopes on the basis of Stiller and some of the cameos. Stiller plays a very toned down character that he would later do much better in Dodgeball; he is funny but you can't help feel that his material is a real limiter on what he can do most of his best stuff is more about his delivery than his material. Stiller snr does his usual stuff but is given far too little time to make an impression while Jeffrey Tambor was a surprise find.
Overall a fairly standard film from Disney aimed at the older, pre-teen end of the kiddie market. The standard sense of humour, plot formula and material never really inspire and produce a film that is enjoyable enough on its own terms but could have been much better with a bit of effort, invention and wit put into the material. The cast are par for the course although the presence of Ben Stiller does help (although again he could have been so much better). Average stuff for pre-teens then but not without some value as amusing filler.
