3. Meatballs
In addition to the camper experience, Meatballs perfected something that these other movies did not, which is a key period of my camp experience - what it is like to be staff. For example, I may or may not have relocated a staff members bed before he came back from a night off or found an otherwise lazy counselor to be a surprising role model or source of inspiration. Sneaking out and avoiding responsibility to hook up with your first love is just as much part of the camp experience as any game of capture the flag or period of water ski Camp often felt like an entire year squeezed into 2 glorious months. That being the case, life events and rights of passage were often sped up as well. Love, responsibility, and experimentation was thrust upon still developing kids when they were usually not ready for it. Relationships continued from summer to summer almost as if the 10 months in between never happened. This is what Meatballs captured, albeit through a comedic and twisted lens. Additionally, most camps are not as nice as the upper class would like you to believe, but that is why we love them. The rustic charm of camp is what makes it okay that there are only 5 arrows for archery and the water tastes funny. I would of course be remiss if I did not acknowledge the role Meatballs played in Bill Murray's rocket to greatness. His performance did not only make the movie stand out, but was potentially the difference between a classic and something that you would find in the 2 for 1 bin.