Meatballs 4 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

Meatballs 4 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 24, 2026

Dinah Washington entered the all time hit parade with What a Difference a Day Makes, but to start this review out with a groan worthy pun related to (relatively) recent Blu-ray releases, when it comes to the Meatballs "franchise" (perceived or otherwise), it might be best to update that title to What a Difference a K Makes. Anyone wanting to conduct a little home experiment in this regard is encouraged to move their cursor to the search bar above and simply type in "Meatballs 4", and the reason for this joke will become apparent, as the two films that instantly pop up are this one and last year's release of Meatballs 4K by Lionsgate Films' boutique etailer Lionsgate Limited. In that regard, it's kind of passingly curious that both that release and this one are "label exclusives", and this may in fact be the first time I've encountered an MVD Shop exclusive if my increasingly addled memory is not playing tricks with me.

The first Meatballs famously helped to launch both Bill Murray and Ivan Reitman into pretty fulsome big screen careers, but, wow, does the law of diminishing returns ever apply to this would be "series", four films that frankly have very little to do with each other. Some historical reportage seems to indicate that this fourth entry wasn't even initially planned as a supposed Meatballs film, not that it matters much one way or the other in the long run. This is simply another juvenile "summer camp" entry that pits two facilities against each other in the thrilling (?) world of water skiing. The film is kind of relentlessly unfunny, with amped up performances by just about everyone. In that regard, it may be the film's casting that offers whatever allure it may provide, though maybe not in terms of actual "star power" but the kind of sad or prurient contextual information about them. Corey Feldman's trials and tribulations are almost legendary at this point (I mentioned a relatively recent incident in my closing comments of our The Birthday Blu-ray review), but this film also offers one of the few relatively large roles for the equally (arguably more) tragic Jack Nance of Eraserhead fame (and/or infamy), and I'll simply let those interested do their own research as to some especially tragic circumstances surrounding this particular shoot. There's also a probably requisite gaggle of former Playboy centerfolds, and, no, you needn't ask, of course they're offered naked in the shower.

Meatballs 4 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Meatballs 4 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual's MVD Rewind imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. As mentioned above, as of the writing of this review, this is available only as a website exclusive at the MVD Shop. As usual with this imprint, there's no real technical information imparted on the packaging, but this sure looks like a pretty old, unrestored master. There's a higher than average number of blemishes dotting the proceedings, including pretty large jagged black "chunks" which look like actual pieces of frames missing, along with less noticeable but still prevalent things like nicks and scratches. While it's not the most prominent scar of this type, there's a small example on the right side of the frame in screenshot 9. Once the optically printed credits sequence ends, the palette is actually quite vibrant a lot of the time, though there are still some noticeable variations in that as well. Some of the nighttime or day for night material can be pretty murky looking, without much in the way of shadow detail. Still, the most brightly lit outdoor footage tends to look decent, if improvable, and reds and blues in particular pop nicely. Grain can be mottled and discolored, especially in darker moments.

Meatballs 4 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Meatballs 4 features an LPCM 2.0 track that is probably in better overall shape than the video component. The film is full of source cues by people you've probably never heard of, but many of whom fit pretty snugly into maybe slightly hilariously late eighties "big hair" band idioms (rather than the early nineties of the film's production). The music sounds reasonably full bodied throughout, and sound effects accompanying the many jet ski, water skiing and boat material on the water are all vibrant. Dialogue (such as it is) is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Meatballs 4 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Writer / Director Bob Logan (HD; 55:01) is a career spanning monologue, though somewhat hilariously, Logan recounts starting his career writing for folks like Rodney Dangerfield, and one suspects Logan probably "[doesn't] get no respect" for his work on this film.


• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 1:34)


• Trailers for other MVD Rewind releases are offered.

The keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a foldout poster. Packaging also features a slipcover.

Meatballs 4 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are evidently fans of this entire series, and some of those apparently feel like this film is at least a marginal step up from the two preceding "sequels" (neither of which is available on Blu-ray as of the writing of this review), though I'd personally suggest that that's damning with faint praise, to say the least. The sad subtext of Nance in particular kind of haunts this film, and probably arguably makes things even less funny than they already are. Video is intermittently damaged and rough looking, but audio is better, and the interview with Logan may be the best thing about this release, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.