Is anyone else puzzled by Tripper's strong physical attraction to Roxanne in this movie? Is that really the actress to cast for that part when the script calls for Tripper to feel that way about her? She looks like a boy next to the other girls.
sharePerhaps but she also had a good heart and was very nice. That's what also may have attracted Tripper to her. Looks aren't everything and while I wouldn't say that Roxanne would win Miss America, she wasn't that bad looking either.
shareIf she has a good heart and is nice, I didn't pick up on that from the movie. When you cast a sex-comedy, as "Meatballs" clearly is, you don't want Tripper going crazy for a nice girl.
sharedave-829 wrote:
If she has a good heart and is nice, I didn't pick up on that from the movie. When you cast a sex-comedy, as "Meatballs" clearly is, you don't want Tripper going crazy for a nice girl.
I disagree. First with the premise that "Meatballs" is a sex-comedy. It was rated PG. There's no really overt sexuality in this film, it's all hinted and implied. This is a screwball, antics comedy where the fat kid's pants get run up the flagpole when he gets caught trying to be a peeping tom. Even on the CIT camp-out, did anyone get laid?
As for Tripper going for the nice girl, that was definitely part of his growth, his character arc. His relationship with Roxanne had been bubbling under the surface for at least one prior summer, and while there were prettier, sexier girls around, she was the one for him and it wasn't until he bonded with a camper who pushed him that he finally did something about it. In that uncertain, post-college age-period, back in that time period, people and relationships were tenuous, uncertain things, so his committing to Roxanne because she was the nice girl was a good thing.
I was 12 when this movie came out and I thought she was an extreme dog. I still do.
sharelol @ extreme dog!
shareI just finished watching the movie (for the 50th plus time since I first saw it in 1979). Roxanne is a very average looking girl- I knew many young women who looked like Roxanne and only a very few who looked anything like the "pretty girls". She seems to be a down to earth, sensible, responsible person. Tripper is totally manic and seems like the sort who always likes to be the center of attention (not that thats a bad thing, he IS entertaining, has great leadership qualities and accomplishes quite a bit in this role). He would probably need someone like Roxanne to bring some calm and stability into his life.
BTW- there was a Meatballs book that came out after the movie. It was a paperback and written for junior high kids. Unlike the movie, in the end Tripper and Roxanne don't go off to live with each other but plan for Tripper to come meet Roxanne's parents.
I thought she was perfect for Trip. Could you really see someone like Wendy going for him? She's adorable, I think. And very of-the-era.
Go watch the "Hot for Teacher" video from Van Halen or "Angel is a Centerfold" by J. Geils Band and see what was considered "hot" back then. Very different from now.
When stuck someplace like a camp or even a workplace everyday, especially when you associate with her to some degree, all it takes is one slight spark of interest to manifest into a greater desire. The instinctive desire gets driven by the realization that something could happen.
share"The instinctive desire gets driven by the realization that something could happen."
So if there were mutual sparks, things could escalate quickly.
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Very different now? Um, definitely not. That was only 30 years ago; guys would still go crazy for those kinds of sexy girls now.
These pc-obsessed times are getting old.
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I don't think it made a difference. Also, she was older than the other CIT's and more Tripper's age so it was fine for them to have a relationship. Would you rather Tripper have a relationship with the 14 year olds, who had the drive and equipment but not the experience?
shareI thought it worked. It's not like Bill Murray's gracing the covers of romance novels or anything.
shareshe's not gorgeous and she's not ugly, neither is Bill Murray for that matter. I just find it hard to believe she likes guys.
This is Dorsia?
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That was 1979, that was a hot chick for 1979. Remember that the really hot chicks with the fake boobs and plastic faces didn't start showing up til the mid-80s. Plus, it was summer camp and he had limited choices, it was either her or the whorish blonde that was probably already giving him some.
shareI agree, girls weren't 'over-processed' like they are these days. The chicks in this movie (and many others from the time) look natural. No implants or other enhancement surgeries, no indication they've been subjected to an army of makeup artists and soft lighting (okay, maybe that was due to budget constraints). They looked like regular girls you know or went to school with, not untouchable glamazons that would populate a remake of this flick. Even the guys, for that matter, looked average, too. The hot guys were, eh, not really that hot. The nerds looked like nerds, not some pretty-boy given a bad hairstyle, glasses, and bad clothes to hide his underwear-model ripped physique.
This is Dorsia?
I always thought she was cute, and a good foil for Tripper. She wasn't BEAUTIFUL, like the other Canadian teen models, but cute, fun, and the kind of gal I would go after. And also in the 70's, beautiful wasn't necessarily the ideal look. The 'earthy look' was still hanging on from the 60's (which were actually '65-75), and is still the look that attracts me.
The other CIT's were gorgeous. One even had her head shot on the wall above her bunk! But they didn't have the depth of a Roxanne, and seemed less interesting.
I see she did a scene in queer as folk, so maybe she wasn't that into guys... not that there is anything wrong with that - or if the show only casts gays.
one of the CIT's was a porn actress. i leave it to you to do the detective work. ;)
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"It's better not to know so much about what things mean." David Lynch
Yeah, Debell. She was in one porn flick. Alice in Wonderland in 1976. Most know this.
These pc-obsessed times are getting old.
I love the scene early in the movie when Tripper wrestles with Roxanne, its so typical of a guy who doesn't know how to get a woman's attention. I used to use the wresting and Aunt Jemmima Treatment to get girls, the Aunt Jemmima Treatment actually worked a couple of times.
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