Film review: 'Super Boy' This Looks Like a Bank Job for 'Super Boy' / Isreal film fest entry is goofy slapstick with a spirited lead performance
Strictly kid fare, this family comedy from Israel concerns a nerdy, spacey 10-year-old boy who, following a mishap with bank robbers, emerges from a concussion endowed with super intelligence. At first he and the world believe it's a miracle, but the audience knows different and certainly can anticipate the wholesome lessons to be learned about life.
A selection at last month's 15th Israel Film Festival (which heads to New York in late February), director Hanoch Rosen's "Super Boy" gets off to a mythic start, with Bible-studying Tom Tom Avni) casting himself as the young hero David facing off against the school bully as Goliath. With his would-be sweetheart by his side, Tom topples his foe but proves cowardly in real life -- ducking out of class regularly with well-timed onslaughts of stomach cramps.
In a screwy chain of events, he's knocked flat and unconscious by two fleeing crooks. Tom's worried neighbor, a wild-haired amateur brainiac who has developed a drug that increases brain power, slips in the hospital one night and overdoses him with predictably dramatic results.
Developed to help the elderly with failing memories, the drug turns Tom into a genius and instant celebrity with an ego to match. The robbers, meanwhile, report to their crime-lord boss, who frets that Tom can identify them on the eve of his planned heist of $10 million in rare jewels.
But Tom's memory of the accident is faulty, and he's easily lured into helping the bad guys with their "Mission: Impossible"-like scheme when it's presented to him as a challenging game to prove how smart he is. Tom pulls off the caper, but he soon learns the truth about his temporary powers and sets out to recover the jewels and rescue his fair lass held captive by the villain.
With lots of slapstick pratfalls and goofy goings-on, "Super Boy" is an amiable diversion thanks largely to Avni's spirited performance and Rosen's competent direction.
SUPER BOY
Tamir Family Entertainment
Credits: Director: Hanoch Rosen; Screenwriters: Hanoch Rosen, Amit Leor, Noa Arad-Brenner; Producers: Udl Izak, Hanoch Rosen; Director of photography: Avi Koren; Music: Uri Ophir. Cast: Tom Avni, Asher Tsarfari, Oded Teomi, Alon Dahan, Eran Shadar, Zofit Eliashiv. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 96 minutes. Color/stereo.
A selection at last month's 15th Israel Film Festival (which heads to New York in late February), director Hanoch Rosen's "Super Boy" gets off to a mythic start, with Bible-studying Tom Tom Avni) casting himself as the young hero David facing off against the school bully as Goliath. With his would-be sweetheart by his side, Tom topples his foe but proves cowardly in real life -- ducking out of class regularly with well-timed onslaughts of stomach cramps.
In a screwy chain of events, he's knocked flat and unconscious by two fleeing crooks. Tom's worried neighbor, a wild-haired amateur brainiac who has developed a drug that increases brain power, slips in the hospital one night and overdoses him with predictably dramatic results.
Developed to help the elderly with failing memories, the drug turns Tom into a genius and instant celebrity with an ego to match. The robbers, meanwhile, report to their crime-lord boss, who frets that Tom can identify them on the eve of his planned heist of $10 million in rare jewels.
But Tom's memory of the accident is faulty, and he's easily lured into helping the bad guys with their "Mission: Impossible"-like scheme when it's presented to him as a challenging game to prove how smart he is. Tom pulls off the caper, but he soon learns the truth about his temporary powers and sets out to recover the jewels and rescue his fair lass held captive by the villain.
With lots of slapstick pratfalls and goofy goings-on, "Super Boy" is an amiable diversion thanks largely to Avni's spirited performance and Rosen's competent direction.
SUPER BOY
Tamir Family Entertainment
Credits: Director: Hanoch Rosen; Screenwriters: Hanoch Rosen, Amit Leor, Noa Arad-Brenner; Producers: Udl Izak, Hanoch Rosen; Director of photography: Avi Koren; Music: Uri Ophir. Cast: Tom Avni, Asher Tsarfari, Oded Teomi, Alon Dahan, Eran Shadar, Zofit Eliashiv. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 96 minutes. Color/stereo.
- 1/5/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.