Deleted Heavyweights Scenes Left On The Cutting Room Floor
"I'm Perkisizing, Tony!" "Heavyweights" is one of those movies that you just have to see to believe. Directed by "The Mighty Ducks" legend Steven Brill from a screenplay co-penned by him and a pre-"Freaks and Geeks" Judd Apatow, this Disney delight was a box office bomb upon its theatrical release, with poor critical reviews to boot. But it quickly found new life through airing on the Disney Channel and home video releases. Nearly 30 years later, "Heavyweights" is loved by fans everywhere, who consider it one of Disney's best '90s-era comedies.
The film stars Ben Stiller as Tony Perkis, a "fitness guru" who purchases a weight loss camp for young boys the very summer that newcomer Gerry Garner (Aaron Schwartz) arrives at camp. As Gerry and Tony go head-to-head at Camp Hope, hilarity ensues. Despite being a commercial failure, "Heavyweights" was eventually released on Blu-ray with a treasure trove of special features, most notably a batch of deleted and extended scenes that add up to the film's actual runtime.
While some of this added material was understandably cut out, most of it is comedy gold worthy of the light of day. Thankfully, Disney hasn't completely buried this movie and continues to include it as part of its vast Disney+ catalog. With so much additional content to pull from, we're here to tell you what you need to know about the deleted and extended scenes from "Heavyweights."
The deleted scenes reveal more about Gerry's personal life
Overall, "Heavyweights" does a pretty stellar job developing young Gerry Garner from shy newcomer to the confident and self-respecting leader of the Chipmunks. As he faces off against his nemesis Tony Perkis, Gerry is forced to overcome his own expectations to take back the camp and summer. But though Gerry's arc is solid throughout the film's theatrical cut, with nothing left to be desired, a few moments were excised from the original runtime that might help us better understand the young camper.
In the deleted scene "AV Squad," we learn that Gerry's actually part of his school's AV Club and that he and his buddy had other plans for the summer. This occurs during the opening "school's out" sequence but wasn't included in the finished film. Likewise, the removed "Bro" sequence reveals that, upon making it home, Gerry encounters his older brother, who pokes fun at his summer predicament. Since neither of these moments add too much, cutting them was likely the right move.
However, there was a sequence that actually did contribute, and that's the "Gerry Cries" scene. Here, when playing ball against Camp MVP, Gerry breaks down after being hit with a baseball. He runs away from the game, leading to the "Alternate Letter Home," where he writes to his parents, explaining how hellish Camp Hope has been. Tragically, this powerful moment was left on the cutting room floor.
The rivalry between Camp Home and Camp MVP is emphasized
The rivalry between Camp Hope and Camp MVP is legendary. According to "Heavyweights" lore, the MVPers constantly kick the Chipmunks when they're down, and either through vandalism or old-fashioned bullying, terrorize our heroes all summer. In years past, they've unapologetically smoked Camp Hope in the Apache Relay, and the counselors are almost worse than the kids. It should come as no surprise that the deleted scenes emphasize this even further.
In the "Airport" deleted scene, Camp MVP counselor Chris Donnelly (David Bowe) pulls up in his camp bus to mercilessly poke fun at Gerry's weight before leaving the Chipmunks in the dust. "Maybe if you lose a few pounds, we'll see you next year," he tells Gerry before demanding he exit the bus so as not to put any extra weight on the shocks. If you thought the folks over at Camp MVP were bad before, this makes them so much worse. But rather than make them the straight-up villains of this feature, director Stephen Brill wisely cut this bit from the finished product.
Additionally, the scenes "PUOC" and "Pat Takes Over" add a bit more to the Camp Hope/Camp MVP rivalry. In one, Roy (Kenan Thompson) reminds Gerry about the scene from the airport, while the other adds a message from the Chipmunks to their recurring vandals. "Don't mess with Fatty" the sign reads, as Chris realizes that Pat (Tom McGowan) has stolen his getaway boat's motor.
Tony Perkis is worse than we thought
If you thought Ben Stiller's Tony Perkis was frightening before, brace yourself: The "Heavyweights" deleted scenes will only make you more afraid. Comprising the bulk of the cut scenes are a number of confrontations between Tony and the young campers. Some of them are referenced in the finished film, while some are completely new to the home video release. Scenes like "Tony Ski Poles" emphasize the conflict between Tony and Pat, while "Julie Visits Tony" shows that he truly believes that his Perkis System techniques will work.
The more of these scenes you watch, the more unhinged the camp owner becomes. While the finished movie shows a brief glimpse of a scene set at a campfire, the two "Campfire" deleted scenes (one an alternate version of the first) are much longer, and embellish Tony's battle with his own emotional insecurity. Additionally, the clip "Camp Play" adds a Camp Hope stage performance directed by Tony in which all the campers are dressed as alley cats. Yeah, it's about as weird as it sounds.
The Blu-ray also reveals additional content of Tony working out and raiding the Chipmunk bunk. But the craziest part may be the added "Bow & Arrow" scene, in which Tony pulls a bow and arrow on Gerry's father Maury (Jeffrey Tambor) during the film's climax. Tony is unhinged indeed.
The love is strong between Pat and Julie
Though not the focus of "Heavyweights," the growing love between camp counselor Pat Finley and Nurse Julie (Leah Lail) is a touching addition to a film that's otherwise focused on young boys, fat jokes, and sticking it to the man. Over the course of the movie, Pat and Julie grow closer, with Pat slowly learning to become more emotionally available. By the end of the feature, they're officially a couple, and they make that known to all the kids they've mentored and helped that summer. So, it's no surprise that there was more to their love affair than meets the eye.
In "Pat Takes Over," Pat takes Julie to the docks where the two of them lounge together in a rowboat. Nervous, Pat makes a joke that reminds Julie how silly he is. "Do you like silly?" Pat asks hopefully. "I love silly," Julie responds. In an alternate and risque take on this scene, Pat and Julie are seen together in the boat post-sex, where Pat lets it slip that it was his first time. He recovers from this moment pretty well.
Additionally, the "PUOC" scene adds a moment set earlier in the film where Julie finds Pat scrubbing off Camp MVP's vandalism. It's a small and relatively unimportant scene, but it shows Julie cares for Pat early on; she's disappointed to see him scrubbing away, while Lars (Tom Hodges) and the campers enjoy the lake.
There are plenty of Camp Hope shenanigans to go around
If there's one thing that Camp Hope is known for, it's the shenanigans that occur throughout the summer. Whether it's hiding candy in their bunks or paying outsiders to smuggle fast food into the camp, the Chipmunks certainly have a lot of fun. This continues on into the cut scenes from the film, some of which feel like nothing more than re-treads of what we see in the movie. Most notably, "Sit-Up Game" sees the campers play the same sit-up prank on Lars that they use on Tony in the film. Nobody needs to see that twice.
Beyond that, "Alex Hoggins" reveals an additional (and previously unseen) character of the same name as part of Tony's public humiliation on the scale. Going up before Phillip (Max Goldblatt), Alex learns that he weighs exactly what he did at the beginning of the summer — though Tony notes that he seems okay with this. Other previously mentioned scenes like "Camp Play" and "PUOC" add to the Camp Hope craziness, especially the latter, which includes Tony's plans to demolish the go-cart track in favor of an extreme obstacle course. Thankfully, construction never breaks ground and, once the Chipmunks take the camp back, the go-carts are eventually reinstated.
It's understandable why some scenes were cut
Some scenes were, shall we say, understandably cut from "Heavyweights." But it's important to elaborate on why. With the Walt Disney Company's name on the film, there's only so much that it can get away with. Jokes about one's weight are bad enough, but when middle school humor is added to the conversation, there's bound to be some censorship. Most notably, the "Boner" scene was left on the cutting room floor. And yes, it's exactly what it sounds like.
While waiting in line for their physical examinations, Josh (Shaun Weiss) and Roy convince Gerry that an erection will embarrass him in front of Nurse Julie. The tension is high as Gerry struggles to ignore their attempts to get him to imagine beautiful women. Instead, the scene ends with Josh getting a taste of his own medicine and leaving before his turn, hiding his privates on the way out. Naturally, this humor feels very out of step with the rest of the movie. Like "Sit-Up Game," it's easy to see why Disney opted to get rid of this; it certainly wouldn't have been cleared for the Disney Channel.
As a companion piece to "Boner," the original "Searching Tony's" sequence features Gerry and the others drawing penises on Tony's stuff. Again, it was probably a good move for director Stephen Brill and company to get rid of these bits. They have not aged well.
These Heavyweights moments were extended
In addition to all the extra deleted scenes, the "Heavyweights" Blu-ray also reveals extended versions of some scenes that made it to the finished cut. It's clear from these added moments that everyone involved had a great time making this movie, but sadly, "Heavyweights" couldn't be three hours. The infamous hike sequence, where Tony takes the boys on an indefinite hike to turn them into men, is extended here, with more time given to the Chipmunks' struggles upward and Tony's crazed techniques, complete with unsolicited (and inaccurate) advice.
Alternate and extended versions of the "Bunk Raid" sequence also exist, which only serve to make Tony creepier, as he all but forcibly takes candy from one of the camper's pants. Following the bunk raid, the "Lunch Line" bit, where Gerry, Roy, and the gang pass notes about Josh's fate, is also beefed up, with more rumors and small character interactions between everyone involved. Pat is even included this time around.
Of course, the best extended sequences here are the full-length "Camp Hope Promotional Video" and "Camp Hope or Hell Video," which give audiences a full view of what goes on at Camp Hope, both before and after the advent of Tony Perkis. The "Camp Hope or Hell Video" is especially hilarious, highlighting even more outrageous exaggerations of what the Chipmunks go through during the summer. "Someone's child, maybe yours, will be hurt," Julie warns. No wonder the video was effective.
The Apache Relay was originally much longer
Following Camp Hope's revolt against Tony Perkis, "Heavyweights" ends in traditional Disney fashion, with a light-hearted climax that allows each Chipmunk to display their hidden talents. This bit is most notable for being the official culmination of Pat and Julie's relationship, as well as the moment that Gerry finally earns his wings and nickname ("Captain") by winning the Apache Relay and squashing Camp MVP in the process. It's a great ending that, like much of this movie, feels very summer camp-ish in the best ways.
But the "Deleted and Extended Scenes" bonus feature adds a lot more to the Apache Relay sequence — over 20 minutes more. The additional scenes are about what you'd expect: Each portion of the relay race is experienced in full, as both Camp Hope and Camp MVP compete against each other athletically and academically. Extended versions of the differing obstacle courses (titled "Camp MVP Events" and "Camp Hope Events") and the "Hall of Intelligence" are featured here, and a seven-minute extended version of the "Grand Prix" — complete with awards — finishes it off.
Though the previously unseen content is loads of fun and emphasizes a few more in-jokes that the theatrical film only touches on (such as the block-headedness of the Camp MVPers), it's understandable why most of this was cut for time. Nevertheless, we'll take as much time with the Chipmunks as we can get.
Alternate Tony endings
If you didn't know (and it's entirely possible that you didn't), "Heavyweights" actually has a post-credits scene. No, this isn't some tease at a future sequel or a gathering of different camp counselors. Rather, after the credits roll with Tim (Paul Feig) and the Chipmunks singing the "Camp Hope Song" (which feels like a fun nod to Pat and Tim's song during the "Campfire" deleted scene), Tony Perkis returns, this time as a door-to-door-salesman.
After the failure that was the Perkis System, Tony stoops down to selling healing crystals in the suburbs. Understandably, no one is buying ... and that's the last we ever hear from Ben Stiller's precursor to "Dodgeball" character White Goodman. But the special features on the "Heavyweights" Blu-ray reveal a few other attempts made by Tony to scam unsuspecting customers into giving him more money. Unsurprisingly, they don't take either.
In the alternate versions of the post-credits scene, titled "Alternate Tony Endings," Stiller's character attempts to sell a variety of items, including a mail-order version of himself, massage balls (that he'd like to test on his client), and Eastern herbal healing remedies. Needless to say, all of Tony's attempts end the same way his time as owner of Camp Hope did — with the door slammed firmly in his face.