User Reviews

You know how many actors start off in their crappy first movie. This is Patrick Dempsey's first crappy movie. This is strictly for the undemanding comedy viewer or the undemanding viewer of any genre. He really started off in this bomb of embarrassment. Here's the plot, where's girls raise Dempsey's anatomy more than laughs in a fizzer of a film. Dempsey is a nerd, going to work on his summer break, heading to a popular seaside spot, which is anything but glamorous. You should check out his living arrangements, for this mean owner, Gene, has taken over this pub and gas business, where Dempsey's pumping more than boat fuel. At the start where he's p...k teased by a couple of girls, we see this laughing stock later on re-invents himself thanks to a magical force, Sally Kellerman, only visible to Dempsey of course. She has to him improve his chances with girls otherwise her wish won't be granted at the pearly gates on heaven. So, dressed the part and a confidence man, he ends up with these hot babes and sends other guys flying through the room or busting tables without hardly laying a finger on them. As if? But in the end he realizes his real love was there in front of him all the time. This is a very corny Meatballs that hit video shelves in back 87, where it should of hit the back of cars or trucks. It's a lame comedy, guaranteed hardly any laughs, but I guess if your a Dempsey fan, who followed a string of similar teen sex films that were way indeed, better, this might be worth the watch to see how this good actor started off. And if you don't like it, there's always the remote nearby. A little joke, Gene's wife, (no not Gene Simmons, the character Gene) Shannon Tweed who's kept like a prisoner upstairs, has a faux intercourse scene with Dempsey, the only redeeming moment of this trash.

Yes, it being the summer is the only thing that remotely ties this film to the first two movies. That being said I did enjoy this movie more than part two, however, you can see by my score of four that I still did not like this movie overall. It had potential and I think its low score here of 2.8 has a lot to do with the fact it tries to pass itself off as a sequel to a set of movies it has nothing remotely in common with. However, that being said overall it was still a poor comedy with the typical teen sex comedy plot...guy wants to lose virginity. The twist, a ghost of a porn star must try and help him. Of course, my question is why does he need help? He is pals with a cute girl who would obviously be more than willing to have sex with him, I mean she is watching a porno with him. Still, if it were that easy there would be no movie. However, that may have been a good thing in this case. Still, it has a couple of good comedy moments and far less groan inducing humor than part two (though it has its fair share as well). So there you have it, we go from family oriented comedy to a teen sex romp in three films.

Really bad movie, it would have been more enjoyable smashing myself in the face.

I turned it off after a while

Sally Kellerman has been in some good stuff ("Serial", "Foxes", "The Boston Strangler").

Then there's "Meatballs III"...and this stuff ain't good.

You see, Kellerman plays a deceased porn star whose only ticket into heaven is to help a hopeless nerd (Dempsey) lose his virginity at summer camp.

This is a Canadian tax write-off (as if you couldn't tell from Waxman in the credits) and it shows from the writing right down to the witless sight gags (dropping trou here is as sophisticated as it gets). Don't get all huffy, now: I like Canadian movies as much as the next guy, but not when they're this stupid.

What else can you say about a movie that under-utilizes Shannon Tweed as much as this one does?

Nothing good, that's for sure.

No stars for this one. Maybe someone should write Jason Voorhees to move to this camp.... Anyone got his address?

Rudy Gerner (Patrick Dempsey) gets a summer job in upstate New York at a river "resort" on the St. Lawrence River wherein a strange woman (Sally Kellerman) helps him with his pursuits of the fairer sex.

"Meatballs III: Summer Job" was shot in the summer of 1984, but not released until early 1987 due to the difficulty of apprehending a distributer after the box office failure of "Meatballs Part II" (1984). Of the three sequels this is the only one with connections to the original 1979 film in that Rudy, the mentee of Tripper (Bill Murray), is 2-3 years older and focused on girls. Tripper doesn't appear in this one, but Rudy reads a letter from him.

The flick is a mixture of the original "Meatballs" with the goofiness and biker gang of the beach party films of the '60s, plus the raunchiness of "Porky's" (1981). It's that last part that ruins the movie for me, although it's thankfully not AS crude. In short, this is "Meatballs" minus the innocence. Another negative is the eye-rolling competition involving bedding the marina owner's woman upstairs (Shannon Tweed).

Nevertheless, Dempsey makes for a quality protagonist and the subplot of the porn star (Kellerman) having to come back from the other side to do a genuine good deed is amusing, reminiscent of the quirkiness of a Woody Allen flick. Moreover, the coming-of-age element is compelling.

There are several nubile females with winsome Isabelle Mejias playing the girl interested in Rudy, Wendy. For a superior movie featuring Isabelle, check out the similar "State Park" (1988).

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Hudson, Quebec, with some stuff done west of there in Ontario.

GRADE: C.

I used to think Meatballs III was the best in the series. But after a while, I realized I was wrong. None of the films are actually all that funny, save Bill Murray's humor as head camp counselor in the first film with much of the funniest lines being that which he calls over the loud speakers.

Part II involved some kind of Martian thing hiding among the campers. It was hardly funny at all, and possibly the only saving grace was Paul Rubens.

Part IV stars Corey Feldman, and well, you know what a horrible movie that turns out to be right there.

Part III was never like a camp counselor movie. Dempsey plays a hopeless teenager working at a summer hot spot. As a nerdy kid, he's desperate for a girlfriend, which requires the guide of a ghost woman played by Sally Kellerman. Poor Dempsey, he falls in love with the beautiful wife of a giant biker with a knack for tossing guys out of the window. In fact, it starts up a contest among the locals--how long would it take for brave young contender making his way to the wife's bedroom before that monster biker tosses him out of the window.

This is more like a movie that could be, if at all, appreciated by fans of Patrick Dempsey's 80s work. Although, I'd consider myself a fan of his earlier work and still don't enjoy this movie. It's not really all that funny outside of a few minor antics and the quirky attitude of Sally Kellerman.

A wicked case of insomnia had me watching this movie on TV. Suffice to say that there would have been more entertainment value had I turned the TV off and watched nothing. Beyond bad from every angle. You don't expect much from a movie like this but this one fails to meet even the lowest standards. 1/2* out of ****.

It didn't take long for me to get bored with this movie, thanks to a stupid plot and humor that is a notch below sophomoric. There was absolutely nothing to like about this film. Worse yet, there was actually some talent in this film. What were they thinking? How financially-strapped would you have to be to sign up for a film where a dead porn star tries to help someone lose his virginity? This is as bad as the plot would suggest.

Absolutely awful film. I liked the first Meatballs mainly due to Bill Murray and an exciting race scene.

This one is total rubbish. It only had a limited cinema release which says it all. I had a laugh at the young man who had to wear a neck brace after trying to auto fellate himself, other than that totally unfunny. It's a cliched Jocks Vs Nerds film about teenagers losing their virginity. Even in 1986 the same plot had been done better.

I saw this late night on Channel 5 (now called Five) in the UK. I hope they didn't pay much for the broadcast rights, even a fiver is too much.

I can't believe the myriad of negative comments and reviews I've seen for "Meatballs III". It, like most other Canadian summer-camp movies, are meant to provide cheap laughs in a stupid way and weren't really made for people to analyze the plot, character development, etc. If you don't like sophomoric humor, then you should have known better than to watch it in the first place. Not everybody likes the trite, dry, boring humor of typical big-production films. Movies like "Meatballs III" provide relief from such ennui.

I remember seeing "Meatballs III" on USA back around 1990, and have loved it since, especially because back then I was still a teenager and this is the kind of movie that a teenage boy would probably like. I remember while watching it my mom came downstairs and told me to turn off "that garbage", and I liked it even more.

On a side note, there was an episode of SNL (when Jeff Goldblum hosted) in 1993 where David Spade, as Karl the video store clerk, recommends "Meatballs III" to Rob Schneider. Of course I had to laugh at that.

I don't understand why Meatballs III ranks in the bottom 100. It isn't a Kubrick film nor is it Star Wars, but it never intended to be. Meatballs III is, very simply, a summer "camp" B-movie infused with a dose of teenage humor. I enjoy it and even own it on videotape because the film's premise is hilarious and it plays out well. (I didn't pay much for the used tape, though.) In fact, I think it is more entertaining than half of what makes it into the movie theaters from Hollywood.

The movie is entertaining because the premise is so outrageous you can't believe anyone made a film out of it. Also, I enjoy the antics of the outrageous, ogre-ish "Mean Gene" who owns the marina.

If you just want to relax with a few beers and don't mind drek if its done decently and doesn't pretend to be anything other than drek, then you might enjoy this movie.

I voted a 7 for it because it is pretty decent as far as B-movies go. I did not rank it on the same scale that I would use for a more serious movie or a big budget Hollywood film.

In this film, Sally Kellerman plays wonderfully a porno star who have to help Patrick Dempsey to lose his virginity. This is an attractive premise if you are looking for new experiences... and this movie won´t disapoint you, it have the enough trash, bad- acting, sense of humour and nudity to surprise everybody. If you like beach films and teen comedies, a definitive must-see!!!

I think this is a good movie. it's funny, and entertaining. When I first saw this movie back in the late 80s I never thought about the plot I just liked it. Now I do think about the plot. The plot is very silly, but I'm able to look past it. This movie doesn't pack the great one-liners that part 1 had, but it's still funny, and entertaining, and close to being as good as part 1. It is better than 2 and 4. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Meatballs III is for laid-back people only. I give Meatballs III *** out of ****

Howdy! Now this movie is really cool, really fun, and, despite its age, is fun and frenzy for my peers, even to this day! Forget some of the recent movies and shows that are very popular among us college students, and forget some of the older ones like "Animal House," too; "Meatballs III: Summer Job" has it all! But do you know what goes terrific with this movie? The past two "Meatballs" movies, of course? Now, back to what I said about what college kids today like: I'm sure a majority of them may not be familiar with these movies, but since there's some lady action going on here (thus the reason for a 10), I think everyone here should see it...and smile!

Decent 80's b movie cheese defiantly would not work today, if you want a 80's b movie comedy then this is for you, looking for something more then you probably will be disappointed best i can say is don't go in with high expectations for it.

PROS Isabelle Mejias as Wendy, is really the only like able character in the movie and the only one you can really get behind to support, does as best as she can with the material she is given, George Buza as Mean Gene, is over the top and entertaining. Cool early 80's music.

The Middle Patrick Dempsey as Rudy, you don't really root for him till the last half hour of the movie, comes off whiny and annoying for most of the film, it's his first movie, he gets a pass, it's not bad but not great either never been a huge fan it's hit or miss with him.

The Tom Character plays the villain decent and you hate him in it, i think his voice is overdub in parts and makes it more funny.

CONS Rest of the main cast to me seems to phone it in, Sally Kellermen does ok, Al Waxman is ok might of helped the movie if they were more into it.

Sally Kellerman manages to totally debase herself, but nobody really shines in this movie that demonstrates they should have stopped at #1.

This is an 80's boner romp film with a hilariously absurd plot premise that is still cute and even a tad sentimental. It stars Patrick Dempsey as a teenager and the beautiful Sally Kellerman, famed for her role in the award winning MASH and an OG Star Trek episode!

I never understand bad reviews for films like this when the argument is that the story is dumb. It's called Meatballs 3. On its own terms, for the party down with boobs B movies that ruled double features in that decade, it stands out as a jewel. Certainly better than the brain dead drivel of Meatballs 4 with that doofus Corey Feldman (that was a fun sentence to type).

Meatballs III: Summer Job (1986) is a movie that I recently watched on YouTube. The storyline follows a young man who is a virgin who works in a town that has summer camp and regular various summertime hijinks. He wishes to lose his virginity this summer, but not to the girl who is begging him to sleep with her, but to one of the many hotties in town for the summer. Today is his lucky day, as a recently deceased porn star is given a chance into heaven, but only if she returns to Earth as a ghost and helps our virgin friend. Can the young man and porn star both reach their goals?

This movie is directed by George Mendeluk (Stone Cold Dead) and stars Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), Sally Kellerman (Back to School), Shannon Tweed (Detroit Rock City), Isabelle Mejias (Scanners II: The New Order) and Isabelle Mejias (The Hurricane).

This is best known for being Patrick Dempsey's first film. The storyline is unique and a perfect concept for the Meatballs series. I actually loved the biker gang with their boats and jet skis. This also has the classic 80s topless scenes you expect in this genre. Unfortunately, this also has the weakest wet t-shirt contest scene of all time. The comedic content is inconsistent but as you'd expect for the genre. The ending was a lot of fun and a perfect way to close the storyline.

Overall, this is the worst of the first three Meatball pictures, but still worth a watch for fans of the series. I would score this a 5-5.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.