Admirable film.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

"Curly Sue" has the distinction of being John Hughes's last directorial effort. After an impressive catalog of modern-day classics with him at the director's chair, beginning with "Sixteen Candles" (1984) and ending (before this movie) with "Uncle Buck" (1989) and not one bad movie within that list, Hughes didn't quite make his winning streak complete with this film.It's not that "Curly Sue" is a bad film. It isn't at all, actually. It's just a film with a noticeable identity crisis, and it's either that fact or its poor home video distribution over the years that has prevented it from being considered one of the quintessential John Hughes classics.A movie about an precocious, cunning, homeless girl who hones her con-artist skills with the help of her deadbeat father invites itself to comedy. However, it seems as if Hughes focused more on the homeless aspect of Curly Sue, and the film felt more dramatic than it should have been.That isn't so much the fault of the story as it is with the instrumental main title of the movie, composed by Groeges Delerue with an unforgettable leading clarinet solo. It's a beautiful piece, but one that gave the entire film a melancholy feeling right from the start that never felt quite fitting.That is not to say I did not like the film, or that the film should have been a flat-out farce. It just did not have the same kind of balance of comedy and drama that the John Hughes-penned classic "Home Alone" (1990) had, and the previews for "Curly Sue" promised a comedy.Fortunately, Alison Lohman was absolutely adorable as Curly Sue. Whether she was in rags or in skirts bought at Lord & Taylor, she exuded a charisma some adult actors take years to learn.Lohman never utters a catchphrase, but she owned the movie. How she did not elevate to the same child star status as Macaulay Culkin is beyond me, although she fortunately did not end up like him either.Jim Belushi, as Curly Sue's father, was pretty good, although I could not help but think that he was trying to emulate Bill Murray in this movie more so than any other he has done before and since. It is to his credit that he never attempted to play any of the kinds of characters his late older brother played, but he could have been more original here too.I also enjoyed Kelly Lynch as Grey Ellison, a strong, independent attorney who ultimately gets conned into taking in Curly Sue and her father. Lynch plays a female protagonist refreshingly unlike many that populate romantic comedies, and its a character we rarely see in family movies even today.I did take issue with the decisions Grey made with her career as the movie progressed and she grew more fond of Curly Sue. She started out with a lifestyle modern feminists could applaud, only to make an ultimate decision that one could say flies in feminists' faces.There are some other areas in the movie where the main characters perform questionable actions, and the reactions of those around are equally improbable. One scene has Belushi's character repeatedly punching a rude maître d' in the face, only for the man to continue grovelling without even a blemish, or anyone else ever reacting to it.There's another scene when Curly Sue explains how she got her nickname, which was not from her curly hair. It turns out another vagabond thought she looked like Curly from the Three Stooges, which doesn't make sense given how much hair Curly had. Plus, Curly's nickname was ironic, whereas Curly Sue's is fitting for obvious reasons.The character of Curly Sue is not one for whom you are supposed to feel bad. She should be an iconic character about whom children, especially young girls, fantasize because of her freedom and her street smarts.Unfortunately, the Delerue-composed theme music gave the film a more depressing tone from which it never recovered, not even during the funny parts. And when you feel bad for a girl based not on what she does on screen, but because of a piece of music that almost tells you how you should feel, who would want to look up to her?

Well, I've finally seen Curly Sue, the notorious flop widely considered The Worst John Hughes movie. I was curious, but kind of dreading it. I'm not really a fan of Cute Moppet movies and find most child actors irritating.The good news is, I found Alisan Porter to be a much more natural child actress than, for instance, Shirley Temple or the girl who played Annie. Alisan was cute without being obnoxiously cutesy. Most of the time she comes across as a Real Kid instead of one who's been coached too much and never had a normal childhood (which often results in creepy and/or annoying mannerisms - most child actors just can't "act natural".) Except for her singing, which has that somewhat cheesy Broadway style and sounds overly trained. (The way her singing was shoe-horned into the script, was pretty contrived.) Still, it's a pity her career didn't take off after this performance... although she might be better off *not* having become a big star, when you consider the messed-up lives most child stars lead.As for the movie as a whole... I can understand why it flopped. Sentimental family films are not very popular anymore. I know it's been said by others, but Curly Sue really is an old-fashioned movie that feels like it should be set during the Great Depression (like Annie and all those Shirley Temple movies were). The fact that it's set in modern times makes it harder for today's audience to accept. Many movies from the 1930s were a mixture of the gritty side of life with down-on-their-luck characters (Homeless drifters! Plucky orphans!) in poverty-type situations, and fairytale wish-fulfillment. Audiences needed that at the time when so many were down-on-their-luck themselves. (Having a rich and poor person fall in love despite class differences, was another common element in films of the Depression, however unlikely this may seem now.) When Curly Sue was released, this sort of escapist fantasy didn't seem relevant to most viewers, I guess.I enjoy many movies from the 1930s/40s and I love Frank Capra... as did John Hughes, I hear. Capra's idealism is not considered "cool" today either, unfortunately. I don't mean to say that Curly Sue is in the same league as Capra's classics. Jim Belushi is no Jimmy Stewart. (Or Bill Murray, although he may be trying to do an impression of him since I kept picturing Bill in the role - interesting to read on IMDb that Murray was offered the part first!) Belushi's character doesn't ultimately accomplish great things, or even attempt to fight the system like most Frank Capra heroes. His lifestyle as a con artist could be seen as rebellion against society, but the writing lacks depth. We don't understand why he'd choose to avoid gainful employment, and even resort to injuring himself in order to con a free meal out of someone. Not when he displays skills, such as piano-playing. It's not very plausible, especially since the movie does *not* take place during the Great Depression when unemployment was not a choice, but an inescapable fact.In it's depiction of women, this movie also reminds me of many post-WWII movies Hollywood made in an attempt to send women back to the home so they wouldn't "take jobs away from" the men who had returned after the war. Kelly Lynch's character is a hard-hearted career-woman who instantly melts upon meeting this child, and ends up giving up her job in favour of motherhood and marriage. She is not so much depicted as conflicted over the moral problems inherent in being a lawyer, specifically, as she is portrayed as unfulfilled and "unnatural" until she becomes more "womanly". There is even a subplot where this lawyer counsels a client who is half-heartedly seeking a divorce, and switches gears from advising her to bleed her cheating husband dry, to supporting the woman's inexplicable desire to stay with the man who doesn't love her and in fact, wants to get rid of her. This reminded me of movies from the 1940s, such as The Women, with their less-than-empowered messages. At least the Hays Code can excuse those films, but in this day and age...not so much.I can't argue with people who dislike Curly Sue for being unrealistic, or sentimental/sappy/corny. Personally I prefer uplifting movies with happy endings and I think more films should be made that the whole family can watch together. However, I don't love Curly Sue - maybe because I've seen it's familiar elements done in many other movies, and done better. Much of the criticism I've seen, I agree with. The pacing *is* slow. The plot *is* predictable. The slapstick is too silly and feels out of place. But it's not as bad as I'd expected, based on it's reputation. The acting is decent. Nice music. You get to see Viveka Davis, the charming actress from Student Exchange! (Wish her part was larger.) There are far worse films...many of which have a higher rating on IMDb. Still, I can't rate it higher than a 4, knocking off some points for the flaws mentioned above, and because it's merely average compared to others of it's type... including other John Hughes films, which I've found more heartwarming and humorous than Curly Sue. (But it's not The Worst John Hughes Movie either - it's better than Weird Science!) Don't let my rating discourage you, if you're also curious, as a John Hughes fan, or looking for feel-good family films.

My daughter, her friends and I have watched this movie literally dozens of times. I bought it twice and some little girlfriends absconded with it. Subsequently, I rented it so very many times. It just never gets old!!! Blockbuster doesn't even have it in their listings anymore and I have tried to buy, find, rent it for over 5 years. Without a doubt, this was and is my most favourite movie of my daughter's childhood...it has it all! We laughed, we cried, we discussed real life and how hard some children have it in the world. There was nothing pretend about this movie. We related to every second and every line Bill! Thanks a million for restoring our faith in human nature. Sincerely, Shelleen and Kailin Vandermey. Craven, Saskatchewan. CANADA,eh!!! :-)August '07 update:Who are we to judge if a rich woman falls in love with a poor man; or a man who has love chooses to raise a child who is not his own. It may not be my or your life. It is not only believable, it happens every day. Thank God! Keeps my faith in human nature alive!!! celebrate!!!!

I remember having a pretty low regard for a venture like this when it was first released. James "Not Jim" Belushi, a hammy kid actress, and a cheesy title in a John Hughes formula. You couldn't have paid me to see it 15 years ago. But, I got caught up watching it while wasting away a Sunday afternoon, and it hits me on a couple of levels. The fairy tale (part Pretty Woman, part reverse Pretty Woman), the very vulnerable, Elizabeth_Perkins_in_Miracle_On_42nd_Street -like performance by Kelly Lynch, the escapism. Over all, it gently pulls some very nice strings. It's pretty hard not to fall into the story, develop a crush on Kelly Lynch, identify with James Belushi, dislike the stiff bad guy boyfriend, and laugh at the Curley Sue lines. Has all the ups and downs, with a happy ending, and the kind of message you want to hear. Go ahead, waste your time on this movie, it's worth it.