42
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- The lovable losers get one over the pretty people, making incremental improvements to their lives without fundamentally changing what makes them unique—a hallmark of Apatow films to come that’s a decent fit for a family movie.
- 50Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonBy the end, the film deteriorates into a combination sensitivity session and pep rally.
- 50The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenHeavyweights is really two movies in one, and they don't mesh.
- 50Baltimore SunStephen HunterBaltimore SunStephen HunterAs comedies go, the unfunny Heavyweights sinks like a stone. [17 Feb 1995]
- 50Chicago TribuneJohn PetrakisChicago TribuneJohn PetrakisJust one more example of Hollywood cramming any old idea it can unearth into a moneymaking formula. [17 Feb 1995]
- 50Los Angeles TimesPeter RainerLos Angeles TimesPeter RainerDisney's new kidpic Heavyweights plays it both ways: It says it's fine to be chubby and then goes ahead and makes all the usual chubby jokes. It's a case of having your hi-cal cake and eating it too. [17 Feb 1995, p.F4]
- 40Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleWatching Heavyweights isn't as bad as either war or fat camp, but its few bits of truly comic dialogue (courtesy of co-writers Brill and Judd Apatow) and inspired acting aren't enough to save the film from its syrupy and predictable theme.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThe Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenPainstakingly formulaic and uninspired (it could have been called The Mighty Guts), the lumbering comedy will unlikely make much of a dent at the boxoffice. [17 Feb 1995]
- 30VarietyLeonard KladyVarietyLeonard KladyThere's never been a remotely significant summer camp film, and Disney's Heavyweights does nothing to advance the genre. Far worse, this yarn about an adolescent fat farm is shameful in its execution and content.
- 25TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThere seems to be a message here about being true to yourself, but it's hard to find it under the blubber jokes.