Simply Perfect

Just perfect...

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Blistering performances.

LITTLE MONSTERS is a typical fantasy-themed children's comedy flick of the 1980s. It starts off on a good footing, with solid world-building and a typically relaxed and likeable performance from Fred Savage as the smart lead, but once the monsters of the title are introduced it quickly falls apart, descending into lame gags and slapstick which seem to have been written with an infantile mind. If watching actors dressed in garishly-coloured, plastic costumes running around and shouting is your idea of fun, then you might just enjoy it more than I did. It's a pity, as the real-world material is true to life, the '80s vibe is there, and Daniel Stern is reliably decent as Savage's dad. The rest is forgettable.

In the last few years the expression "little monsters" has become the moniker for Lady Gaga's fans. I don't know whether or not it was Gaga herself who coined created the description, but that's the name for them.Well, the movie "Little Monsters" has nothing to do with that. It's one of those '80s movies that liked to think that it was all about friendship. It's not any kind of terrible movie - you gotta love the tricks that Maurice gets Brian to play on other kids - but the movie misses the mark. I think that it should have been all about the kids' desire to escape an overly structured existence. Had they stuck with that, the movie would have been a mediocrity at worst. As it stands, the movie ended up sort of irritating.You may recall Fred Savage as the grandson in "The Princess Bride". Devin Ratray notably played Buzz in "Home Alone", but more recently appeared in "Nebraska". Frank Whaley played Robby Krieger in "The Doors" and also appeared as Brett in "Pulp Fiction".I'd like to force Pat Robertson to attend a Lady Gaga concert just to mess with his mind (assuming that he has one).PS: I attended a speech that Daniel Stern gave at my college in 2004 about his USO tour in Iraq the previous year. He said that some Iraqi children recognized him from "Home Alone", which made him realize how much US culture dominates.

I saw this movie a few months ago with my young children and was a bit shocked how foul the movie was. Maybe when I was a young boy I found it intriguing, but as a father I don't think I'd want my kids exposed to that stuff until they're older and have a moral framework in place.There are several instances of severe curse words - including sh*t, b*tch, a**hole, etc. and directed toward people, no less. The whole movie is premised around a boy's exploration of a demonic fantasy land and playing practical jokes on other kids while his parents are going through an awful divorce. This is where I first remember hearing the vulgar phrase for a bra: over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder. Not something I particularly want my 10 year old to know about. And then a scene where they pee into a jar and make it look like apple juice for a kid to drink the next day. Very vulgar and my 10 year old laughed hilariously, but I found it a bit too much for that age. It seems like only the mind of an adult who went through ugly times of a parental divorce could come up with a story like this.It reminds me of the recent Where the Wild Things Are movie. Just dysfunctional. Disturbing and not feel-good. Absolutely do not think this is a PG movie that you can take any child under 10 to watch. It's just too disturbing.

I remember when this movie first came out. Snooty critics ripped it to shreds but the kids loved it. Two critically acclaimed critics did a scathing review of the movie but the movie still had its fan base. Besides who cares about the wayward opinions of the same high brow Beavis and Butthead critics that gave Speed 2: Booze Control two thumbs up? Exactly, now lets move on.Story: Eric Stevenson(Fred Savage) moves into a different state and has a hard time adjusting there. He later on befriends a mischievous monster named Maurice(Howie Mandell) that is easily harmed by bright lights. Eric and Maurice become friends and they visit Maurice underworld home. Later on Eric's brother is kidnapped by the same creature that bullies Maurice as well as the ruler of that underworld and now has to rely on the help of Maurice as well as a friend and a former bully to help him retrieve his brother.This movie brings back a lot of memories and after seeing it recently it still holds well after all these years. Howie Mandell is hilarious as the wise-cracking but fun-loving Maurice. Fred Savage as well as the rest of the cast is good also. I love the imagination of the writers also. Sure the movie has some dark undertones but as I kid I loved it and as an adult I still love it. The sets are creative down to the monsters. Now for the people that are comparing Maurice to Beetlejuice, there is a stark contrast there: Maurice is a likable doofus with a heart that sometimes takes his antics to far(like using hands to chew up an unlucky person's homework). Beetlejuice, on the other hand is an unlikable creep that put his ulterior motives before anything else. There is a very big difference in character there.Little Monsters is one of those movies that defined childhood memories of the 80s. You cant mention great movies that defined the 80s without mentioning Little Monsters. That's like talking about movies that defined the 90s without mentioning T2: Judgment Day. Its impossible. Plus Little Monsters is not only creative and unique but its also fun to watch something that is absent from a lot of movies nowadays. You remember the word "fun" right? Its what movies used to be before they became mundane and extremely repetitive. I recommend this movie to anybody that is a fan of 80s movies and I also dare you to not get choked up in the final scene where Maurice says goodbye to Eric. You look at me and tell me that scene doesn't move you to tears. Ahh, the memories. Movie like this are the reason why people always go back to the 80s and after the recent crop of garbage out now who can blame them?