The Summer Camp movie was a popular comedy subgenre
throughout the 80s and 90s. The movie that helped kicked it off was the 1979
comedy Meatballs, starring Bill
Murray, co-written by Harold Ramis, and directed by Ivan Reitman (the team that
would go onto create Stripes and, of
course Ghostbusters). Meatballs proved
to be such a hit that it spawned three terrible sequels and many rip offs. One of those “rip offs” was the 1985 made for
television comedy, Poison Ivy, starring
Michael J. Fox and Nancy McKeon. While Poison Ivy is greatly indebted to Meatballs there is a significant
difference between the two movies; Meatballs is mainly focused on the exploits
of the camp counselors while the kids (with the exception of Rudi) are mostly
background noise. Poison Ivy, on the other hand, is more evenly balanced between the
counselors and the boys (it takes place at Camp Pinewood, an all boys’ summer
camp). In the context of 1985, the biggest draw for audiences would have been Micheal J. Fox and Nancy McKeon, who were two of the more popular TV actors of that era. In the context of today, the movie is an interesting relic of its era. The ultimate 80s nostalgia.
Poison Ivy has ten central characters (five adults and five kids) and in order to do a proper review of this movie, it helps to do a brief analysis on each of these characters.
The Adults:
Dennis Baxter (Michael J.Fox)
Poison Ivy was made during an interesting point in Michael J. Fox’s career; it was released months before Fox would reach super movie stardom with Back to the Future and Teen Wolf. At this point he was essentially known for his role as Alex P. Keaton on the TV sitcom, Family Ties. The fact that the producers were able to get an actor of Fox’s caliber in the role of Dennis may be one of the biggest coups in television history. Fox has the magical ability to take a potentially abrasive character like Dennis and make him likable. In many ways, Dennis Baxter is a toned down version of Bill Murray’s character, Trapper, in the movie Meatballs. Both of them are ladies’ men: Dennis is more a flirt, while Trapper is a bit more aggressive in his interactions with the opposite sex. The redeeming quality both of them have is how they take a misfit boy (Rudi in Meatballs, Timmy in Poison Ivy) under their wing and instill them with confidence. Rudi is the only boy who has any screen time in Meatballs, while in Poison Ivy there is a sense, from the very get go, that Dennis shares a bond with the boys under his charge.
The screenwriter Bennett Tramer effectively sets this up in the opening scene – Bobby and Toby are up on the rooftop throwing water balloons at people and Ike Dimick orders Dennis to go after them. Once on the rooftop, Dennis grabs one of the balloons and drops it on Ike's head.
When he returns with the boys, Dennis covers for them by telling Ike that it was different pair of boys throwing water balloons, and that Bobby and the Toby actually went on the rooftop to stop them. Ike completely buys Dennis' explanation and congratulates the boys on their Camp Pinewood spirit. This not only proves to the boys that they can trust Dennis, but it sets up their loyalty to another, and their willingness to cover for each other. Though, I find Dennis’ actions here a bit problematic, but I will go into that when I discuss Ike Dimick.
Rhonda Malone (Nancy McKeon)
Rhonda is the camp nurse. She is also attending medical school and is using this to gain experience in her field. Rhonda also has a fairly no nonsense attitude when it comes the children and staff – when Dennis drops all sorts of pick-up lines on her, she calls him out on his bullshit. They may have their desired effect on other women, but not on Rhonda. Nancy McKeon is inspired casting – she was best known for playing the tomboy Jo on The Facts of Life – and manages to inject personality into what could have easily been an underwritten role. She is tough, but she also manages to maintain her femininity. Her character has nice homey quality about her – the filmmakers didn't feel the need to “sex her up,” her natural beauty speaks for itself.
If Poison Ivy had been released theatrically, there more than likely would have been a few gratuitous shots of Dennis leering at Rhonda’s behind. While she is initially annoyed by Dennis, the two of them do develop a genuine bond once Dennis stops trying to be a player. Though, as much as I like Nancy McKeon in the role, the character of Rhonda is responsible for one the movie’s weaker elements. I will get to that later.
Big Irv (Robert Klein)
Big Irv is the enthusiastic but fairly clueless director of the boys camp. He constantly drones on about the “Pinewood spirit” and his annual “Color War” competition is supposed to determine who has that spirit. It’s not enough for Big Irv that these boys enjoy their summer; he genuinely believes he is molding the boys into future leaders. There are actually a lot of funny moments with this character (marvelously played by Robert Klein); the most notable scene is when Big Irv declares “Color War” and is framed in a similar as George C. Scott was at the beginning of Patton – standing in front of the Color War flag while addressing the audience. Big Irv would like to see himself as being a Patton type figure, but he is a total pushover. He is an idiot, but a well-meaning idiot.
Ike Dimick (Adam Baldwin)
Ike Dimick is a wannabe military badass – he runs the summer camp like a boot camp. There is also a hint that he is either impotent, or possibly (given that this was the 80s) gay. When Margo, the horny wife of the camp director, attempts to seduce him he barely bats an eye. Later, she does manage to persuade Ike to take a bath with her, but he only agrees on the condition that she stays on her side of the tub. The writing for Ike is bit muddled, though Adam Baldwin gives it his all. Dimick is essentially a low rent Douglas Niedermeyer (from Animal House) thought not quite as fascistic. He has a win at all costs type of mentality – when the Color War games begin, he uses all sorts of underhanded tactics to defeat his opponent. The problem I have with this character is that he is written as such a hard ass that we, the audience, automatically side against him, even when he is in the right. When Dennis is flirting with a girl at the train station, instead of keeping an eye on his group of boys, Ike rightfully calls him out on this. In fact, while Dennis is making googly eyes at some random girl, two of his boys go up on the rooftop and start chucking water balloons at random people. We’re supposed to view Ike as being a total square, but his point is still valid. If one of these boys would have been injured, something tells me Dennis wouldn’t be making quips.
Margo Klopper (Caren Kaye)
Margo is Big Irv’s neglected and extremely horny wife who has her eyes set on Ike Dimick; she is your quintessential MILF. If Poison Ivy had been a theatrical feature, there probably would have been a scene of Margo walking around in a bikini (or underwear) while all the males gawk at her. However, as this was a prime-time television movie (made with a family audience in mind) her interactions with Ike seem fairly tame. Caren Kaye does her best with the material she is given but Margo is an extremely one-dimensional character.
The Boys:
Jerry Disbro (Joe Wright)
Jerry is probably the most complex of the characters. He is a grifter – he is always looking for an angle to exploit. When Big Irv asks Bobby to join the boys’ varsity baseball team, Jerry steps in and acts as Bobby’s agent. He also manages to run an entire system where the camp poet, Brian, will write letters to the boys' parents in an exchange for PX tickets. He essentially runs the camp, while Big Irv remains completely oblivious to it all. Jerry also sees himself as something of a lady’s man; he manages to sneak into the girl’s camp in hopes of hooking up with a blonde girl he met on the train.
In a fairly clever bit of writing, it is also revealed that Jerry is the younger brother of Mark Disbro, who is a Pinewood legend. In the previous summer, Mark helped lead the Grey team to the victory in the Color War. When the Color War begins, this puts Jerry under a lot of pressure to help the Grey team repeat as champions. It is interesting to note that Poison Ivy was written by Bennett Tramer, who would go on to become one of the head writers for Saved By the Bell. Jerry Disbro is, essentially, a forerunner to Zack Morris. They both are constantly scheming to elevate their own social standing and it often comes at the expense of their friends. The only difference is that Jerry lacks Zack’s magical ability to freeze time.
Brian Firestone (Thomas Nowell)
Brian Firestone is the nerdy kid, who is also an extremely gifted writer. His main storyline is that he develops a massive crush on the camp nurse, Rhonda – something that most boys in the 80s could relate to, as Nancy McKeon was one of their first major crushes. Like most naïve boys, Brian wants to be near Rhonda as often as possibly, so he often comes with excuses to visit the nurse’s office – including rolling in a patch of Poison Ivy. This is one of the movie’s better written subplots, as it’s a fairly accurate representation of a first crush – it is an awkward experience. I think everyone has experienced a case of unrequited love; in Brian’s case, it is on an older woman who is barely aware of his existence.
Brian also writes anonymous love letters to Rhonda, who mistakenly believes they are from Dennis. As mentioned before, Jerry uses Brian’s talent for writing for his own personal gain – Brian writes letters to the boys' parents in exchange for PX tickets. When the parents visit the camp, they all boast about how their sons have developed into gifted writers. A few of them suspect that something is a foot, but they can’t quite put their finger on it. Thomas Nowell is fairly good in the role, yet the only other credit I know him from is Friday the 13th,Part VI: Jason Lives, where he constantly repeats the phrase, “We’re dead meat!”
Timmy Mezzy (Cary Guffey)
Timmy Mezzy is, initially, the outcast of the group. He doesn’t want to attend Camp Pinewood and spends the first half of the movie trying to run away. However, he wins over the other boys when he refuses to rat out them out– in one of his escape attempts he dresses up as a girl, and while he is on the lam, he bumps into Jerry, Bobby, and Dennis who are all at the girls' camp hoping to hook up. Those three get away, but Timmy gets caught by the girl’s counselor. When Ike wants to know who else was there, Timmy remains silent. The boys, ever grateful to Timmy, decide to take him under their wing. When it is revealed that Timmy is afraid of the water the boys help him overcome this fear, by having him float in the bathtub.
Later, Dennis supervises Timmy as he learns to do the backstroke. Timmy’s parents are overbearing and kind of condescending; when Dennis tells them that he is adapting well to camp life, they are genuinely shocked by this development. Timmy is played by Cary Guffey, who is best known for his role as Barry in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Timmy has the strongest arc of out of the characters – he goes from being a socially awkward misfit to well liked, confident boy. Guffey hits all of these beats perfectly.
Toby Kaplan (Matthew Shugoilo)
Toby Kaplan is probably the most one dimensional out of the all the boys – he is the quintessential overweight boy who is constantly snacking on candy. He also fancies himself a comedian; a “cross between Jackie Gleason, Oliver Hardy, and John Candy,” in his own words. On parents’ days, he is allowed to do a stand-up set and completely bombs (his jokes center around the quality of the camp food). Practically everyone has encountered the sort of kid in their laugh – the self-described “class clown” who is not nearly as funny as he/she thinks they are. What I also like about this scene is that it underscores the generational gap when it comes to comedy – what is funny to the younger generation is often baffling to the older generation. I have encountered this many of times with my nephew and niece; they will be laughing their butts at some random YouTube video while I scratch my head in confusion. There are probably a few kids who find Toby’s “camp food” jokes hilarious, but the parents find them to be lame – though, you do get the occasional “pity” laugh. It probably doesn’t help that Toby is spoiled by his parents – his mother bakes him a going away cake. Later, when his parents pick him up at the train station, his mother bakes him a “welcome back” cake.
Bobby Novak (Derek Googe)
Bobby is the star baseball player and a fierce competitor. However, he is also incredibly protective of to friends – when Jerry, under the orders of Ike Dimick, sabotages Timmy during the swimming competition, Bobby takes notices and responds by giving Jerry a nice crack in the jaw. It is interesting to note that while Bobby is a fierce competitor, he is willing to forfeit the Color War to find Timmy. The games become secondary to him in the end.
There is an interesting dynamic between Jerry and Bobby – Jerry is the brains of the group while Bobby is the heart. While Jerry is looking for an angle to exploit, Bobby is willing to take people under his wing and offer them support. He also doesn’t hold grudges – when Jerry apologizes for what he did to Timmy, Bobby forgives him and the two of them (along with Brian and Toby) set out to find the missing Timmy. Individually they are both exceptional boys, but as a team they are unstoppable.
Well, now that I have summed up the principal characters, it is time to talk about the plot. The first two third of the movie is more about character building. It really takes its time setting up the principal characters and their relationships to one another, the third act is when the plot actually kicks in. The movie gradually builds up to the “Color War” – a competition where the camp is divided into two teams (Blue and Gray) to determine which one has the vaunted “Pinewood Spirit.” In a script there are few accidents, therefore it is no coincidence that the team colors (Blue and Grey) were also the colors of the American Civil War (the Union was Blue, the Confederates were Grey). As a result of the Color War, a mini-Civil War breaks out between the boys. As soon as the Color War begins, a rift develops between the five boys (Bobby and Timmy are assigned to the Blue team while Jerry, Toby, and Brian are on the Grey team). The usual trash talking ensues, but Jerry takes it a bit further after he is chosen to be Ike’s right-hand man (Ike gives Jerry the meaningless title of sergeant in arms). Ike is determined to win by any means necessary and realizes that Jerry is the perfect man to help him achieve his goal. At one point, Jerry has one of the younger kids spy on the Blue team (the boy walks into the Blue headquarters, tears streaming down his cheeks, and whining about how he had a horrible nightmare). However, it's not enough for the boy to spy on the Blue team, he also takes pictures of their lineup.
The lowest point is the psychological trick
that Jerry plays on Timmy in a desperate attempt to win the swimming relay. Timmy has overcome
his fear of the water (thanks to the efforts of Bobby and the boys) and has
been slotted to compete in the swimming relay.
The night before the competition, Jerry tries to shake up Timmy by
telling him a story about a boy (“Tough Break” Thompson) who drowned while
competing in the relay. This shakes
Timmy a little bit, but on the day of the race he is on the verge of winning
until Jerry shouts “Tough Break” to Timmy.
This has the desired effect and Timmy begins to panic, and Dennis has to
pull him out of the water. Bobby
witnesses this and punches Jerry right in the mouth. Jerry realizes he went too far and when
Timmy runs away, he is determined to make amends.
While Poison Ivy does owe a lot to Meatballs, it is interesting that it avoids the whole “slob vs. snobs” theme that was prevalent in many comedies at the time. In Meatballs, the main antagonist is a rival camp where all the wealthy kids attend. The have all the best facilities at their disposal, so the movie takes on an “under dog” narrative, especially when Rudi (the ultimate underdog) beats his more athletic opponent in a foot race through the woods. It is not only a triumph for Rudi, but for the camp as well. In Poison Ivy, Timmy’s triumph at the end is a personal victory rather than a team victory. He overcomes his fear of the water and confidently swims across the lake (while Dennis and company follow in canoe). This miraculous feat gets the attention of the camp and they all cheer Timmy on as he completes his swim. After Timmy’s inspiring display of the “Pinewood spirit,” Big Irv calls an end to the Color War. This infuriates Ike and he throws a temper tantrum, but no need to worry, he suffers the same fate that befell many cinematic bullies of that era – he is pushed into the lake. It is a fairly hokey moment (it doesn’t help that Dennis tells Ike to “cool off” as he pushes him in the lake) but it serves its purpose – Ike is given his just comeuppance.
While there are many things I like about Poison Ivy, it does feature one my least favorite romantic comedy tropes – the boring fiancé. It turns out that the biggest hurdle in Dennis and Rhonda’s relationship is her fiancé, a medical student named Martin. When we meet Martin (at Parents' Day) he is a total bore – he talks incessantly about himself while neglecting Rhonda. This is a fairly lazy gimmick screenwriters will often use – they will introduce a fairly unlikable character whose sole function is to make the slightly abrasive protagonist look good by comparison. When we are first introduced to Martin, we can’t help but ask, “What does she see in him?” Then when there is an intimate moment between Dennis and Rhonda, we say to ourselves, “Sure, Dennis might be a bit annoying at times, but he is way better than that creep, Martin.”
There is something that is a bit off about the casting of Martin: Nancy McKeon was eighteen years-old during the production of Poison Ivy, but the actor, who plays Martin, Brett Rice, was in his mid-thirties. He is also made up and dressed in way that makes him look older; giving the impression that Martin is a middle-aged Boomer who is sucking the life out of Rhonda.
I hate this character because he is completely unnecessary, not to mention his very existence makes Rhonda seem like a flake. She obviously isn’t with Martin for his winning personality; therefore, it must be financially related.
In all fairness to Bennett Tramer, when he was writing the teleplay he had probably no idea who was going to be cast in the roles of Dennis and Rhonda, so the character of Martin was a kind of insurance – a way to trick the audience into believing that Dennis was Rhonda’s TRUE soul mate. However, once Michael J. Fox and Nancy McKeon, two genuine actors, were cast in these roles, the filmmakers should have discarded this character. While I like Michael J. Fox and Nancy McKeon, there are moments where the material really lets them down; I want to start a Poison Ivy drinking game, every time Rhonda utters the line “But I’m engaged” take a shot. This how practically all of Dennis and Rhonda’s interactions end during the first half; he’ll get all flirty with her and she’ll remind him of her engagement to Martin. It gets to be fairly redundant after a while. Thankfully, once Martin exits the movie, the two actors are no longer restrained by the clichéd writing.
There is also a fun little nod to the 80s slasher movies in the form of Walter, the maintenance man. Walter is somewhat of a recluse – he lives in the woods and always carries around a hatchet, which is covered in red stains. This leads to the rumor among the boys that Walter is a serial killer. When Timmy runs away, the boys find his shoe and it looks like it is covered in blood. They immediately assume the worst. However, it turns out that Timmy is still alive, and Walter is not a serial killer, but an artist. He dips his hatchet in red paint and splatters it across a white canvas. He really digs modern art. I can’t help but notice the similarities between Walter and Old Man Marley in Home Alone. They are both old, reclusive men who are rumored to be serial killers. Walter is always seen with his hatchet, while Old Man Marley is often seen carrying around his shovel. Did John Hughes think of this movie when he wrote the screenplay to Home Alone? Though, Old Man Marley has far more depth in Home Alone and there is an actual pay off to his storyline. Walter is a throw away character – you could easily remove him from the story and it wouldn’t change a thing. Still, it is a fun homage to the many horror movies that were being made at the time.
The best word to describe Poison Ivy is pleasant. It is not a groundbreaking movie, but it is a pleasant hour and a half. It coasts on the charm of its cast and has the occasional clever moment that prevents it from being monotonous. It is interesting mostly as a relic of its era. Its initial premiere was in February of 1985; this was before post modernism had infected every aspect of our culture. It is rather refreshing to watch these actors approach this material (which fairly silly at times) with the utmost sincerity. If Poison Ivy were made now, it would be heavily steeped in irony. The actors would occasionally wink at the camera to let us know they are in on the joke. It would be absolutely dreadful. How is the audience supposed to invest in a movie if the actors don’t believe in the material?
Amazingly, as of now, Poison Ivy has never been given an official DVD/Blu Ray release. It was released on VHS, but these copies are incredibly hard to find. In an era where even the most obscure movie is often given the Blu Ray treatment, it is a baffling that this movie has fallen through the cracks. Therefore, I highly recommend that either Shout Factory, or Criterion, obtain the rights to Poison Ivy and release a special edition Blu Ray. It should include a filmmaker’s commentary and have a detailed “making of” feature. SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!
Credits
Cast: Michael J. Fox (Dennis Baxter), Nancy McKeon (Rhonda Malone), Robert
Klein (“Big Irv” Klopper), Adam Baldwin (Ike Dimick), Caren Kaye (Margo
Klopper), Joe Wright (Jerry Disbro), Thomas Nowell (Brian Firestone), Cary
Guffey (Timmy Mezzy), Matthew Shugiolo (Toby Kaplan), Derek Googe (Bobby
Novak), Cameron Arnett (Steve Sawyer), Brett Rice (Martin Blair).
Director: Larry
Elikann
Writer: Bennett Tramer
Running Time: 96 min.
