Gerald "Gerry" Garner (Schwartz) is a teenager who learns his parents are sending him to Camp Hope, a Fat Camp run by a pleasant elderly couple called the Bushkins. Though initially indignant, Gerry quickly makes friends with his fellow campers and starts to come around to the idea of the camp being fun after all. That attitude immediately sours when the camp kicks off with the Bushkins announcing they've gone bankrupt and have sold the camp.
Enter the new owner of Camp Hope, Tony Perkis (Stiller), a fitness guru who has plans to make a weight loss infomercial by filming the campers as they lose weight over the summer, and in the name of reaching that goal institutes sweeping reforms to its staff and activities. Tony's methods quickly go from reasonable to cruel, and it becomes increasingly obvious to the campers and their concerned counselors that Tony may not be all there in the head. The question turns to what will happen when one of them finally reaches their breaking point, because it isn't a matter of if, but when, it'll happen.
I eat tropes for breakfast!!.... with skim milk:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Lars to Nurse Julie.
- The Ace: Josh is the Alpha Chipmunk, and he knows it.Roy: I just saw the new nurse, and uh...she's very attractive.
Josh: This pleases me. - Acrofatic: Josh is quite athletic, despite his weight. He's even able to outrun Tony for a few moments.
- Adults Are Useless:
- Zigzagged with the counselors, who played no role in overthrowing Tony, but they did try to help the campers as much as they could. Pat stood up to Tony and was chewed out for it, and given that Tony has already replaced most of the old staff and is eager to get rid of those left, Pat's lucky he didn't get fired. Julie reached out to child welfare, but it would take time to get someone out there to investigate the camp, and Tim contacted a lawyer and was told that without hard evidence there isn't much that could be done. They were in the process of discussing how to get that footage from Kenny the cameraman when Gerry came back and revealed they had taken Tony prisoner. The adults prove their worth after that point, when Pat challenges the campers to take responsibility for themselves and the campers and staff work together to make Camp Hope fun and helpful.
- Played very straight with Gerry's parents, who brush off and ignore his complaints about how badly Tony is running the camp and assume he's just upset that the fun activities have been removed, but that's not why he's there. At the end of the film when they see what Tony was like and ask why Gerry didn't tell them about this, Gerry doesn't respond but his expression says "I did."note .
- This is played even straighter by the head of the MVP camp, who actively encourages his charges to bullying the fat kids.
- All There in the Script: The girls' camp which accepts Tony's dance invitation is called Camp Magnolia.
- And Then What?: The kids take Tony captive, and then pig out on junk food and wake up with huge stomach aches. They then decide that it would be a good idea to actually try to lose weight.
- Artistic License – Law:
- Harvey Bushkin says that they were forced to file Chapter 9 bankruptcy. This section of the bankruptcy code is strictly for municipalities. Given that they were forced to sell the camp to Tony, they would have filed under Chapter 7.
- Julie mentions that child welfare was sending someone to investigate the camp but that it would take two weeks. In real life in the United States a welfare check is often done on the same day or within days at most — especially when children are involved. As a health professional Julie's accounting of what Tony was doing should have caused someone to be immediately sent out. It's possible that Camp Hope being in a very rural area resulted in a slower response but it's still way too much of a stretch.
- Attack! Attack... Retreat! Retreat!: Tony's attempt to film a "results" segment for his infomercial.Tony: Josh Birnbaum! Step on the scale, son! All right! *high fives Josh*
(Slides the 50-pound bar)
Tony: [upset] Get off the scale! - Ax-Crazy: While Tony looms on the edge of this throughout the film, he really turns into this when he shows up at Parents' Weekend, walking on broken glass and doing cartwheels like a mad man.
- Bad Boss: Tony. He stiffs Kenny out of money he's owed and brushes off any suggestions from his staff. At one point he verbally abuses Pat in front of the campers and staff when the latter tries to confront him about how dangerous his exercise regimes are getting.
- Barefoot Captives: The kids make Tony one in the climax.
- Big Bad: Tony Perkis, a fitness guru who torments the campers to get them to lose weight in an (unreasonably) short amount of time for the sake of his infomercial.
- Big "OMG!": Josh's initial reaction to Tony.
- Binge Montage: A G-Rated version. After Tony is usurped, the campers spend a night celebrating with all the junk food and fun they've been missing, complete with a hangover-like sugar crash and indigestion the morning after.
- Brick Joke: During the post-Perkis montage, a group of Camp MVP jocks hop into a motorboat and shove off, only to find out that the motor is gone. And when Pat unveils the new go-kart:Pat: Did a little work on the motor.
- Bond One-Liner:Tony: No one is taking this camp away from me!
(*Gerry's dad punches him in the gut and doubles him over*)
Gerry's Dad: I'm afraid you're wrong. You are through here. - Can't Take Criticism: His response to constructive feedback about how unhealthy his weight loss programs are is to either brush it off (in Tim's case) or verbally berate the critic in front of the entire camp (in Pat's case).
- Chekhov's Gun: On the long hike up the mountain, Gerry saves Nicholas from falling into a hidden pit covered by only a few pieces of wood. Just a little while later, the same pit is used to capture Tony.
- Chekhov's Skill:
- One scene contains Josh Burnbaum shaving with a straight razor. Later, during the Apache Relay, one of the contests is scraping shaving cream off a balloon.
- Pat mentions he's been working at the camp 18 years, the longest of any employee. Logically this means he has the most experience and so ends up running things.
- Chewing the Scenery: Basically any time Tony is on screen, but his rant about how powerful and motivated he is during the parents' visit absolutely takes the cake.
- CloudCuckoolander: A number of characters, but especially Lars. His ridiculous dance when the girl's camp showed up combined with his unorthodox outlook on various things makes one think he's not OK in the head.
- Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Even though Pat was perfectly willing to free him from the chain pen with barbed wire they put Tony in, Tony's reaction to Pat removing the tape over his mouth is insult Pat some more. Pat responds by just leaving him as he is.
- Cool Old Guy: Tony Perkis Sr. seems to have it a lot more together than his son.
- Denied Food as Punishment: Tony: "Attention campers: Lunch has been canceled today, due to lack of hustle. Deal with it."
- It's also been announced that Tony at one point canceled all three of breakfast, lunch and dinner on the same day for some reason.
- Didn't Think This Through: The campers for indulging in junk food courtesy of Philip without even taking into consideration that their weight evaluation is coming up.
- Disco Dan: Tim, or at least his suit.
- Lars, too.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Tony kicks Josh out of the camp without a refund for a pretty tame, albeit disrespectful and juvenile comment. At least until Josh's lawyer father gets involved.
- The Dragon: Lars.
- Dumb Jock: The kids at Camp MVP, or at least the one from the trivia part of the relay, which gave the fat kids a chance to catch up. He didn't even know who any American Vice Presidents were.
- E = MC Hammer: The math equation during the Apache Relay does not equal eleven. It actually has no solution because there is only one side of the equation, and you therefore cannot solve for "x".
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Kenny the cameramen shows up in search of Tony, Pat, Julie, and Tim get an idea to showcase Tony's misdeeds by producing a video of their own.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Lars is shocked when Tony says he's going to bring the kids on a 20 mile hike. Being as fit as he is, he knows how dangerous that would be for people as unhealthy as the kids are. Dawson (the former Chipmunk) freaks out when Tony says he wants everyone to climb a cliff face with no tools.
- Evil Former Friend: Dawson, a former Chipmunk who has graduated to being a counselor, reveals the group's candy stash to Tony but ultimately subverts it as he later sneaks them junk food and takes part in overthrowing him.
- Evil Is Hammy: Tony.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: Tony is deposed as owner of Camp Hope, and presumably his infomercial deal subsequently falls through. In a mid-credits scene Tony is shown trying to make ends meet as a door-to-door healing crystal salesman; not well, if the door slammed in his face is any indication.
- Fast-Food Nation: On the bus ride to the camp, you can see a whole bunch of fast food restaurant chains (McDonald's, Taco Bell, Checkers, KFC, Burger King) with an American flag waving next to it. The boys beg for the driver (Pat) to pull over.
- Fat Camp: The whole premise of the movie, after all. Before the arrival of Tony, the campers actually loved it because of all the fun activities it had (plus they were able to easily smuggle in junk food). Once Tony is gone, they're able to make the camp fun again.
- Fat Comic Relief: Pretty much everyone at the camp, though Gerry's the most iconic.
- Flat Joy: Tony Perkis Sr. as he congratulates Pat being newly in charge of the camp.
- Flipping the Bird: Offscreen when the kids were getting their "before" pictures taken.Lars: Please put your fat finger down!
- Foreshadowing: Gerry is nicknamed "Captain" for the pilot's wings pin he had on when he first met Josh, forgotten about from when a stewardess pinned it on him during his flight. During the climactic go-kart race to win the Apache Relay, he (metaphorically) flies.
- Formerly Fat: Tim, resulting in the campers good-naturedly mocking him for being thin.
- Also Tony claims he was this at one point in his life.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Sam actually scores a kiss with one of the girls at the end of the dance.
- One of Sims' T-shirts suggests that he hails from Minnesota.
- Friend to All Children: Averted; Tony tries to be this by making himself seem like someone the kids can relate to and never seems to realize that they're terrified of him. When he asked one camper to hug him, it was only just to strip and search him for more fattening foods.
- Funny Foreigner: Lars.
- Gaussian Girl: One of the girls at the dance.
- Germanic Efficiency: Played with. Lars is seemingly the perfect henchman for Tony's scheme - he's built, he's intimidating, and he's German. But he's not the brightest crayon in the box and ends up joining the good guys thanks to a traumatic incident with a bear er, deer.
- Gibberish of Love: When Nurse Julie asks Pat where the infirmary is, he chokes, despite having twenty years of experience at Camp Hope.
- Gilligan Cut: Used when Gerry refuses to watch the Camp Hope promotional video, and again when he refuses to go to camp.
- Groin Attack: One boy is hit while playing baseball. Another hits Lars as he's tied to a tree.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Tony during the video montage.Tony: How do you like the food here at Camp Hope-
Josh: It's good stuff.
Tony: (peeved) Wait 'til I finish asking you the question. Just say, "I love the food."
Josh: I love the food.
Tony: Good. Here we go. So, Josh, how do you like the food here-
Josh: I love the food.
Tony: Wait until I FINISH the question! - Hated by All: None of the campers nor the original counselors at Camp Hope take kindly to Tony's regime and it's easy to see why. He turns Camp Hope from a fun-filled summer getaway to an unpleasant atmosphere where he puts the kids through cruel and humiliating exercises while verbally abusing or brushing off staff who disagree with him. Given how easily Lars was swayed into a Heel–Face Turn Tony doesn't seem to command much loyalty even from his own staff.
- Heel–Face Turn: Kenny the Camera Man and Lars, both of whom the kids offer jobs so they stick around after Tony is defeated. Unsurprisingly, they like working for the kids better than working for Tony.
- High-School Hustler: Josh is a kid version of this.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: During his Parents' Day meltdown, Tony does a series of backflips after sucker-punching Gerry's dad...and then crashes headfirst into a wall.
- Hypocrite: When Gerry discovers he going to a weight-loss camp, he refuses to go and denies that he has a problem with his weight and refers to the campers as "fatloads".
- I Just Want to Be Special: Gerry and Pat.
- Jerkass: Gerry's father, while he has Gerry's best intentions at heart, he really comes off looking like a jerk half the time, but he's really a Jerk with a Heart of Gold. He does make up for it by punching out Tony.Maury: (to Gerry) We did not send you to Go-Kart Camp.
- In fairness he wasn't fully aware of what Gerry was going through, hence his appalled reaction when he sees a video of what Gerry and the other kids endured while Tony was running the camp.
- Tony is a Jerk Jock with a Heart of Jerk.
- I Surrender, Suckers: A downplayed example as when Gerry's father punches Tony during his Villainous Breakdown, he doubles over in pain. But Tony recovers relatively quickly and retaliates with two simultaneous judo chops once Maury's back is turned.
- Jerk Jock: Tony again, and also the kids and coach from Camp MVP.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Camp MVP being upset about Camp Hope winning the Apache relay makes some sense given that Camp Hope stole the engine from their boat for their Go-Kart.
- Just Eat Gilligan: Pat, Tim, and Julie are all bothered by how Tony is treating the campers, the three have seen witnessed Tony verbally abuse the campers all summer, and Julie (a licensed healthcare professional) claims that his weight loss program is not only ineffective but also dangerous to the health of the campers. Her formal testimony alone should be enough to get the camp shut down, or at least investigated. She mentions she spoke to child welfare and they intended to send someone to look around, but it would take two weeks, yet the scale of Tony's actions should surely merit a quicker response, and possibly get the police involved. For that matter anyone who came to investigate the camp would certainly interview the campers and learn everything.
- Karma Houdini: The former Chipmunk from the previous year who sold out the location of the contraband candy to Tony and Lars is not seen getting any retribution when the campers overthrow Tony.note
- Kick the Dog: If it wasn't obvious Tony was an ass already, ending the dance just as it gets going cements it.
- The MVP Club are certainly viciously competitive, but vandalizing Camp Hope as a hobby, and verbally abusing the fat kids is just awful.
- Large Ham: Tony and Lars.
- Laughably Evil: Tony. It helps that he's played by Ben Stiller in his prime.
- Love Makes You Dumb: Played for Laughs when Pat first meets Nurse Julie and is so dumbstruck he can't direct her to the infirmary:Roy: Pat, you've been coming here since you were ten and you don't know where the infirmary is?
Pat: ...I panicked.
Roy: (sighs in frustration) What are we gonna do with you, man? - Mass "Oh, Crap!": The revelation that Camp Hope has been sold shocks the entire camp, including veteran campers Josh and Roy.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Kenny the cameraman showed annoyance with Tony's behavior early on, and stiffing him on money caused his Heel–Face Turn.
- The Mole: Turns out Dawson, the ex-Chipmunk who works for Tony (the one who revealed their stash), also sneaks them food. if properly compensated.
- Montage: Chipmunk cabin storing their contraband.
- My Grandma Can Do Better Than You:Tony: My grandma can run faster than you, and she's only got one leg!
- New Era Speech: Tony's introduction.
- Nice Guy: Pat, Tim, the original Camp Hope owners and pretty much everyone except for Tony and anyone at Camp MVP.
- Lars becomes this after his Heel-Face Turn
- Nurse Julie is a very Nice Girl.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: See "What An Idiot" in the YMMV page.
- No Social Skills: It's clear from his first scene that Tony has no idea how to interact with other people, especially kids.
- The boys, being the stereotypical fat kids, don't know how to interact with the girls at the dance until Tim starts dancing and everyone joins in.
- Obliviously Evil: Tony seems to think he's doing what's best for the kids, completely unaware of how depriving them of food and forcing them to undergo humiliating and downright dangerous exercise regimes makes him look.
- Oh, Crap!: When Gerry crams down a whole pitcher of lemonade down his throat, the little girls operating that stand do not react well.
- The campers as the Bushkins reveal they've sold the camp and again as Tony gives his intro.
- One of the Kids: Pat is this, to the detriment of the actual effectiveness of Camp Hope. The original owners appeared to have traces of this too. Nurse Julie shows shades of this with her enthusiastic response to the kids kidnapping Tony. Tim even joins the boys in their junk food binge.
- Overly Narrow Superlative: Tony Perkis Sr., the "Lighting Fixture King" of Western Pennsylvania.
- Papa Wolf: Of the Hidden Heart of Gold variety. Maury comes across as uncaring for most of the movie but once he learns what Tony did to Camp Hope, he gives him a much-deserved punch in the stomach.
- Parental Neglect: By his own admission Tony Perkis Sr. wasn't the most attentive to his son, possibly bringing out some of his worst nature.
- Persecution Flip: In contrast to the outside world where the fat kids are picked on skinny people for their weight, at Camp Hope they pick on Tim for being the only skinny person.
- Pointy-Haired Boss:
- It is implied the Bushkins, as nice as they were, didn't do a great job of helping the campers lose weight, as all of the returning campers are still overweight and easily sneak in enough junk food to last all summer. They also clearly weren't the best businesspeople, since they had to declare bankruptcy and sell to Tony.
Harvey Bushkin: One word of advice. NEVER LET ANYONE SIGN YOUR CHECKS!- Tony is not only abusive, but none of his tactics actually motivate the campers to lose weight.
- Precision F-Strike: If you listen closely after Tony attempts to have the kids climb a mountain, you can hear one of the kids say, "Aw shit."
- Psychopathic Manchild: The end of the movie shows Tony to ultimately be this.
- Right on the Tick: The first shot of the movie is a middle school hallway clock, as Gerry is dismissed for the summer at exactly 3:00p.m.
- Get a Room!: Two of Gerry's schoolmates celebrate by making out.
- Rookie Red Ranger: Gerry, who is a first timer at the camp, leads the group against Tony and in the Apache Relay.
- Sadly Mythtaken: When trying to inspire the campers during their hike, Tony mixes up the stories of Icarus and Sisyphus. He tells the kids Icarus rolled a ball up a hill and it melted in the sun's heat when he got too close. He closes with "you're all like Icarus," seemingly having no point to make either way.
- Sanity Slippage: While it starts when at the first weigh-in, Tony becomes noticeably more unhinged after getting kidnapped.
- Satellite Love Interest: Subverted. Nurse Julie is shown to have her own reasons for helping the kids, has a medical degree giving her even more reason to be concerned about the kids (and is probably a mandatory reporter), and her romance with Pat builds throughout the story.
- Second Place Is for Losers: The neighboring camp that Camp Hope competes against. They actually contest Camp Hope's win against them in the final contest, when it was clearly fair and square.
- A deleted scene shows them discovering that the engine in Gerry's kart was the one that was stolen from one of their boats, so it becomes arguable.
- Secret Snack Stash: The kids at the fat camp all keep stashes of junk food. The former managers all turned a blind eye to it, but new owner Tony Perkis naturally cracks down.
- See You in Hell: Lars, to the campers who tied him up: "I'll see you all in HELL!!!"
- Sexophone: When that beautiful brunette girl approaches the Chipmunks at the dance.
- Shamed by a Mob: Tony, at Parents' Weekend.
- Shame If Something Happened: After Tony is overthrown, the folks at Camp Hope find out that Lars must maintain employment in order to avoid deportation. Their approaching him with this knowledge provokes his Heel–Face Turn.
- Shout-Out: To, of all things, Schindler's List.
- The dozens of campers laying on the ground the morning after their sugar rush is a parody of the wounded/dead soldier scene in Gone with the Wind.
- The VHS cover for the Perkiscise with Tony video looks very much like Richard Simmons' Reach for Fitness video.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Julie draws the infatuation of both Pat and Lars. She warms up to the overweight but sweet-natured Pat and is repulsed by the more physically fit but obnoxious Lars.
- Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: That picture at the top was the main movie poster, and Ben Stiller doesn't appear anywhere on it. It makes Lars look like the main villain, and for some reason he has different hair.
- Slobs Versus Snobs: The Camp Hope Kids are the slobs, with their overweight and proud of it ways and lack of manners but are still really good kids. The Snobs are both sets of villains: Tony who noticeably starts out in a suit and wears very sleek sportswear throughout the movie while his minions are dressed in matching uniforms and turn the camp into hell, and the rival camp, who have nicer uniforms and look down on the Camp Hope campers and are complete douchebags.
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Spiritual Successor: To the first two Mighty Ducks movies. They share the same quirky Disney family-friendly tone along with several actors notably Kenan Thompson ("Russ Tyler" from D2 and D3), Shaun Weiss (who many remember as "Goldberg") and Aaron Schwartz who was in the first Ducks film. - Spotlight-Stealing Squad: We never see any other campers besides the Chipmunks, and they're only implied to exist a few times.
- Standard Snippet: The scene where everyone is enjoying The Blob is set to "The Blue Danube Waltz".
- The sugar rush scene is set to "The Thieving Magpie Overture".
- The Stinger: A much calmer Tony, having apparently found New-Age religion, is selling crystals door to door; the target of his pitch slams the door on him.
- Stupid Evil: At one point, Gerry and the other campers mastermind a scheme to "kidnap" Tony by tricking him into falling into a pit, and then tying him up and then locking him up. When the counselors find out, they're horrified, since as bad as Tony is, it's still illegal to kidnap someone. So Pat moves to let Tony out, and if Tony had left it at that, he would've won. Instead, when Pat takes off Tony's gag, Tony takes the opportunity to insult Pat and threaten him, prompting Pat to put the gag back on and offer to help the kids with their plans instead of freeing Tony. If Tony had been able to turn off his Jerkass personality for one measly second, he would've gotten off scot-free.
- Summer Campy: Subverted. Camp Hope starts out as and apparently great camp, but the news of the new ownership doesn't reach any of the campers until after they arrive, at which point things start turning to hell. However, the Chipmunks unite and come with the guidance of staff members, set things right again.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: As the adults discuss what they should do about Tony, Gerry arrives and proudly shows off how he and the other Chipmunks have captured and imprisoned him. Nurse Julie is impressed... while Pat and Tim point out how highly illegal this is and they can't allow it to continue. Pat goes to untie Tony, who proceeds to insult and threaten him, which makes Pat change his mind and agree to let the imprisonment continue.
- Also takes place regarding Tony kicking Josh out of camp. True, he made a rude joke, but expelling him for one minor offense was *way* over the line. Since Josh's dad is a lawyer, the threat of a lawsuit is enough to get him back into camp.
- Tony decided to play up his Large Ham villainy when pushed way over the edge may work on kids and adults who work for him, but deciding to do so in front of a bunch of parents who are already appalled and pissed off at his treatment of their children only ends with him getting a swift punch in the gut.
- Talking to Themself: Tony after he realizes all his campers gained weight by cheating. He starts whispering to himself in a not so quiet tone before turning on the campers.Tony: "How you doing little Tony? Bad. Why do you feel bad? Because everything's falling apart, and I can't do anything about it. It's not your fault, but whose fault is it if it's not my fault? It's their fault. That's right, it's their fault. It's their fault! IT'S THEIR FAULT!! (turns to the campers) YOU HAVE FAILED AND YOU WILL PAY!!!"
- Take That!: Josh explaining how he got back into camp after being ejected.Josh: Perkis sent me home without a refund. However, my dad's a lawyer. He calls up Perkis, threatens to sue, and Perkis caved like the Buffalo Bills in (Super Bowl XXVIII).
- This Is Gonna Suck: When Tony gives his first speech to the campers, the response is a horrified "Oh. My. God."
- Too Dumb to Live: As Pat is rescuing Tony from captivity, Tony insults him and threatens to kick him in the balls. Pat then re-gags him and offers to get more rope.
- Training from Hell: Deconstructed and then some. It's obvious to everyone BUT Tony that his weight loss methods are actually harming the campers, and bordering on dangerous.
- Training Montage: Tony's first morning in charge.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: Tony first order following his takeover of Camp Hope is to announce that he's reformatting it to his "Perkis Power" experience, then later revokes many of Camp Hope's activities.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Ben Stiller plays both Tony Perkins as well as his father, Tony Perkis Sr.
- Undercrank: When the Chipmunk bunk is being loaded with contraband.
- The Unfettered: Tony is very, very passionate and driven about his goal to "Perkisize" the camp. By the second half of the movie, though, he's bordering on Ax-Crazy.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Camp MVP in the Apache Relay. They have a commanding lead for the first portion due to so many early physical obstacles. However, they struggle at balloon shaving and completely choke away their lead in the Hall of Intelligence. Meanwhile, Josh and Nicholas breeze through those respective sections to help fuel Camp Hope's comeback.
- Villain Decay: Lars is pretty scary at first, but once his cowardice and incompetence start to come out, the threat is gone.
- Villain Has a Point: Not that it excuses Tony's deranged behavior and borderline torturous ideas of a "fitness" program, but he was correct in that Camp Hope was doing a poor job of helping kids to lose weight, and did need some reforms. While confiscating their secret stashes of junk food isn't nice, it's Tony's job as their instructor to make sure they don't cheat on their diet plans. After they take over the camp and spend the night going ballistic on food, Pat lectures the kids that they need to learn self-control and self-respect if they want to actually lose weight and lead healthier lives.
- Villainous Breakdown: Tony seems to have one after tripping and falling during his attempt to exit the dining hall by doing backflips. He's shown leaving the camp wrapped in a blanket and in something of a daze, being escorted away. The last we see of him, he's jealously looking out the car window as the kids celebrate Pat taking over.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Tony has shades of this, especially near the end of the movie when his father comes to straighten things out. Perkins Sr. actually admits that he was an inattentive parent but remarks that it does not excuse Tony's actions.
- Gerry too, though to a much lighter degree.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The Bushkins are never seen or heard from again after leaving the camp. But after Tony is overthrown, the campers paint a mural dedicated to the Bushkins to show that they are never forgotten.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Pat to the kids when they kidnap Tony and freak out over how much trouble they could get with the law for tying up the owner of the camp.
- Subverted when Tony insulted Pat before Pat could free him.
- Writers Cannot Do Math: At the beginning, Gerry was recorded at being 141 lb. Thanks to cheating on diets, Tony recorded him at gaining 9 lb, but then in the end Tony reiterates Gerry is 141 lb.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: At the dance, the boys and girls don't want to dance with each other. Suddenly, a knockout walks towards the guys, and they assume she's going to ask one of them for a dance. Turns out she just wanted to know where the bathroom was.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: The other Chipmunks catch Philip with a cheeseburger. When he lies that he found it, Josh loses patience, calls him a putz, and takes it.
