‘Heavyweights’ Turns 30: Ben Stiller and Judd Apatow Look Back on the Cult Classic
Some movies just stick with you, and for my older brother and me, Heavyweights is one of them. This mid-90s classic is the kind of movie that probably wouldn’t work if it were remade today (if you know, you know). But if you haven’t seen it, here’s a quick rundown:
The story follows 11-year-old Gerry Garner, an overweight kid from Long Island whose parents send him to Camp Hope—a summer camp designed for boys like him. At first, the camp is a fun, supportive place run by the kind-hearted Bushkins. But things take a turn when they go bankrupt and are forced to sell. Enter Tony Perkis (played by Ben Stiller), a fitness-obsessed lunatic who takes over and turns Camp Hope into a nightmare, pushing the campers to lose weight for his own infomercial. With their summer now feeling like a prison, Gerry and counselor Pat Finley rally the campers to take back their camp—just in time for the ultimate showdown: the Apache Relay against their longtime rivals, Camp MVP.
Recently, I came across a post from Ben Stiller and Judd Apatow celebrating the movie’s 30th anniversary. On Monday, Feb. 17, Apatow shared behind-the-scenes photos from the Heavyweights set, including one with a young Kenan Thompson. His Instagram post featured promo pics, cast stills, and a fun coincidence—Heavyweights turning 30 the same year Saturday Night Live celebrates its 50th.
“SNL 50th AND Heavyweights 30th anniversary!” Apatow, 57, wrote. “And Keenan is on both – so that must have been especially exciting for him!”
Back in 1994, Thompson—then around 16—was already a rising star on Nickelodeon’s All That and Disney’s D2: The Mighty Ducks. He later became SNL‘s longest-running cast member. However, in his 2023 memoir, When I Was Your Age, he reflected on the body image struggles he faced early in his career. He admitted he felt “exploited a little” during Heavyweights and tried to convince himself that it “wasn’t happening” to him.
Apatow, who co-wrote the film with director Steve Brill, has spoken about the movie’s unexpected cult following. In a 2022 post marking its 27th anniversary, he shared that Heavyweights was actually his first movie.
“It was a magical experience,” he wrote. “We shot at Camp Pinnacle in Hendersonville, North Carolina, in 1994. When it came out it didn’t make any noise, but oddly it seems like tons of people have seen it and enjoy it.”
For this year’s milestone, Apatow posted many of the same “Angry Judd” Polaroids featuring cast members like Thompson and Paul Feig (the director behind Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters [2016], and A Simple Favor).
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, Stiller also acknowledged the anniversary on X (formerly Twitter).
“Somehow I don’t think this will be at the head of the Disney+ queue ever,” the Severance director joked in response to a fan calling Heavyweights an “underrated” gem.
Stiller even joked that he’s “not sure” Disney remembers they made the movie, which didn’t exactly dominate the box office.
“But that was an incredibly fun summer in North Carolina 30 years ago,” he added.
For those who want to revisit this nostalgic favorite, Heavyweights is currently available to stream on Disney+.
